Michael Olise's interview at the Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels Awards ceremony has gone viral for all the wrong reasons - and France teammate Rayan Cherki has reacted.
Olise was present for the ceremony at the awards ceremony on Monday night, which was held at the Palais Brongniart in Paris.
The Bayern Munich star has been on fire this season, scoring 22 times and recording 30 assists in 50 matches. Olise, one of the top contenders to win the Ballon d'Or this year, was recognised for his brilliance by winning the Best French Player Playing Abroad award.
Olise beat the likes of Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe, City's Cherki, Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike and Arsenal's William Saliba to win the trophy for the first time.
Olise's Interview Doesn't Go to Plan
Michael Olise
Olise was born in Hammersmith, England, and was raised in Hayes, Greater London. The talented winger was eligible to represent England, as well as France, Algeria and Nigeria. Despite growing up in England, Olise made the decision to snub his homeland and represent France.
Olise is much more comfortable giving interviews in English than he is in French. Despite not being totally fluent in French, he attempted to speak to the media in the language after winning the award on Monday. The interview did not go to plan as he stumbled on his words before swearing.
"Oh putin..." Olise says after failing to get his words out, before adding in English: "Are we live?!"
Olise then added, in English: "This trophy means a lot to me. Obviously, coming from other players that voted for me, they know how hard it is to be a player and what you have to give every day. It's a nice feeling. I'm happy."
Footage of the interview has gone viral on social media, with many football fans on X (formerly Twitter) laughing at Olise's comments.
It has also gone down well with his French teammate, Cherki. After Olise posted an image of himself with the trophy, Cherki replied in jest: 'Oh putin."
Frank Leboeuf Can't See Olise and Cherki Playing Together at the World Cup
Michael Olise
Michael Olise
Both Olise and Cherki have shone this season. However, former France international Frank Leboeuf doesn't believe the two will play together at this summer's World Cup, which is now just a month away.
He said earlier this season, per Tribuna: “I will leave it to Deschamps to work out his formula, because the problem for him is that he is spoilt for choice – he has so many good players that it is quite complicated to call – although it’s better to be in that situation than not having enough good players.
“Of course, we’d like to see them all play – Cherki and Olise are gems. But you’ve also got Mbappe, Doue, Barcola, Dembele – it’s not possible to play them all, especially as you also need defensive stability, so you need your Fofanas, your N’golo Kantes if he is recalled, players like that. And that’s the structure that Deschamps likes, too.
“So you only have three or four spots for all those offensive players that I named. But I can’t see Deschamps playing Olise and Cherki together; he’ll have to make a choice and find the solution. But there will certainly be a very talented squad with France among the favourites for the World Cup.”