Michael Olise has officially outgrown the "prospect" label. The Bayern Munich and France star is now making a serious case as the best right-sided player in Europe—and he's chasing down one of the Premier League's elite for a historic assist crown.
The 22-year-old winger added another helper to his tally in Bayern's dramatic clash against Heidenheim at the Allianz Arena, pulling him level with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes in the race to lead Europe's top five leagues in assists. Both players are now gunning to become the first to reach 20+ league assists since Kevin De Bruyne's iconic 2019/20 campaign.
But it wasn't all smooth sailing for Vincent Kompany's men. After a midweek 5-4 thriller against PSG, the Belgian boss rotated heavily—and it nearly backfired. Heidenheim, sitting at the bottom of the table, stunned the home crowd with first-half goals from Budu Zivzivadze and Eren Dinkçi, taking a shock lead into the break.
Kompany responded by sending on the cavalry: Olise, Harry Kane, Luis Díaz, and Joshua Kimmich all entered the fray early in the second half. Leon Goretzka, who had pulled one back just before halftime, completed his brace 12 minutes after the restart—and it was Olise who provided the assist, his 19th in the Bundesliga this season and 26th across all competitions.
That assist pulled Olise level with Fernandes in the race for Europe's assist crown, a battle that's heating up as both players push toward a rare 20-assist milestone. For context, only De Bruyne has achieved that in the top five leagues since 2019.
Yet despite Olise's brilliance, Bayern's comeback wasn't complete. Zivzivadze netted his second of the night with 20 minutes remaining, leaving the hosts on the brink of a stunning defeat. For Olise and his teammates, the assist race might be tight—but the result was anything but secure.
