Michael Olise is the man of the 2026 World Cup From Juergen Teller's cover shoot to TV-captured pictures

France have been the standout team of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and are the overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy. Unsurprisingly, all eyes are on Kylian Mbappé, who has scored eight goals throughout the tournament, including the opener in France's quarter-final win over Morocco. But while Mbappé may be considered the best player not only in the French squad but arguably in the entire tournament alongside Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, he is certainly not the tournament's most stylish player. That title belongs, without question, to Michael Olise.

Which brand made the scrunchie worn by Olise?

"Aura" is one of those words that gets thrown around far too often, but every now and then it feels entirely justified. This is one of those occasions. Because in modern football, no one embodies style quite like Michael Olise. Whether it's his football, played with a hypnotic rhythm and those unmistakably languid movements, or his personal aesthetic, every detail feels like a genuine expression of who he is.

The most recognisable feature of the Bayern Munich winger is undoubtedly his hairstyle, his braided hair tied together with a scrunchie. It first caught our attention during the club season and has remained part of his look throughout the World Cup. Most likely, it's a silk hair tie by Chrome Hearts, a brand Olise has worn repeatedly in his Tunnel Fits and now proudly showcases on football's biggest stage.

What Boots Is Michael Olise Wearing at the 2026 World Cup?

Another defining element of Olise's football aesthetic is, of course, his boots. Throughout this World Cup he has worn several different colourways of his beloved Nike Hypervenom III DF. In a tournament dominated by pink boots, Olise has consistently chosen a wide variety of colours, while staying true to one personal rule: matching his boots to his kit whenever possible. That meant blue boots with France's home kit, green boots with the mint-green away strip, and even a custom-made pair designed by Matt DiGiacomo.

What might initially seem like a whim—changing boots before every match—is actually another expression of Olise's flawless approach to style, one that none of his peers have managed to replicate. He doesn't rely on a carefully manufactured image, nor does he need gimmicks such as a signature goal celebration to stand out from the crowd and capture people's attention. Some of his rituals may leave fans puzzled, like his now-famous habit of inspecting the pitch by dragging his feet across the grass for a few seconds before casually turning around and heading back to the dressing room. But that's simply part of what makes him unique. Olise has never been afraid of being himself, and in today's football, that's no small thing.

Michael Olise's Instagram Is Unlike Any Other Footballer's

Off the pitch, Olise has been just as surprising throughout this World Cup thanks to the way he has managed his Instagram profile. On the eve of the tournament, he deleted every single post from his feed, leading many to speculate that it was a transfer-related move aimed at encouraging Bayern Munich to consider his reported desire to join Real Madrid. The reality, however, couldn't have been more different.

By wiping his profile clean, Olise simply gave maximum visibility to the content he planned to publish throughout the tournament: a series of photographs shot by German photographer Lukas Korschan, with Olise naturally taking centre stage. What makes these images particularly interesting is that they were all photographed directly from a television screen. It's a visual trend that Korschan helped popularise during this World Cup alongside Florence Pernet and Casper de Coninck. None of the three photographers were granted accreditation by FIFA, forcing them to document the tournament from home instead.

Why Michael Olise Feels Different From Every Other Footballer

Olise's style and behaviour can be both captivating and, quite understandably, frustrating. His apparent lack of interest in everything happening around him is often interpreted as detachment or indifference. Regardless of how one chooses to read his personality, one thing deserves to be acknowledged. At a time when footballers' public images are increasingly curated—where every gesture seems designed to fuel a social media narrative or strengthen a personal brand—Michael Olise feels like a genuine exception. He never gives the impression of trying to build a persona. He simply is who he is. He doesn't try to appear mysterious, nor does he make an effort to stand out by acting differently from everyone else. He behaves the same way regardless of the occasion, the expectations or the cameras pointed at him. And perhaps that unwavering consistency is precisely what makes him so magnetic.