Michael Olise Full Name: Bayern Munich reveal Bundesliga Player of the Year's Nigerian middle name

• French international Michael Olise has officially been crowned the 2025/26 Bundesliga Player of the Season after hitting a historic 15 goals and 19 assists for Bayern Munich.

• The Reveal: To celebrate his individual glory, Bayern Munich’s official handles posted his full birth name: Michael Akpovie Olise.

• Background: The 24-year-old Olise was born in England to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother.

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich ignited a massive wave of viral traffic after officially revealing the full Nigerian middle name of their newly crowned 2025/26 Bundesliga Player of the Season, Michael Olise.

To celebrate the 24-year-old French international's spectacular individual campaign, where he became the first player in years to drop a historic 15 goals and 19 assists in a single German top-flight season, the Bavarian club's official handles posted his full birth name: 

"𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐤𝐩𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞 ist der 𝐁𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧."

Olise’s rise at the Allianz Arena has been nothing short of meteoric. DFL CEOs Marc Lenz and Steffen Merkel presented the winger with the prestigious award shortly before handing over the Bundesliga trophy on Saturday.

The hierarchy of German football praised Olise as a "poster boy" for the league, highlighting the consistency that saw him win Player of the Month in both November and January, ultimately beating out teammate Harry Kane for the top annual prize.

Olise, compared to Premier League legend Kevin de Bruyne, was born in Hammersmith, London, to a Nigerian father, Vincent Olise, and a French-Algerian mother. 

His middle name, "Akpovie," stems directly from the Urhobo language of Southern Nigeria. 

In the wake of Bayern's post, local fans immediately took to social media to celebrate the recognition, with one fan noting, "Thanks Bayern for letting the world know his middle name. He has Nigerian blood... One day he will connect back to his roots."