France's Michael Olise Explains His Japanese Tattoo Ahead of the World Cup
Michael Olise is ready for the moment.
A few years ago, the England-born winger wasn’t on anyone’s radar when it came to the World Cup. He was a good player at Crystal Palace in the Premier League, but even after committing to France, it felt as if he was one of a dozen shining young talents on the back-to-back World Cup Finals nation.
Now, though?
He might be the best player in the world.
More news: Messi, Mbappé, Yamal: The Top 10 Players of the 2026 World Cup
More news: Raúl Jiménez Made History: Three Stars From World Cup Day 1
The 25-year-old is coming off two incredible seasons with Bayern Munich in Germany alongside England’s Harry Kane, narrowly beating out his teammate for the Bundesliga Player of the Year award for the most recent campaign.
Not only has he dazzled domestically, Olise is elevating his game at every level, coming into the World Cup with a hat trick against Northern Ireland. His final goal of the night, a bending strike from outside the box, showcased the magic that Olise can turn with only a few seconds touching the ball.
One attribute about Olise that has fascinated fans is a tattoo on his ankle written in Japanese kanji.
In a recent interview before the World Cup began across North America, the French superstar winger opened up about his unique ink.
“It came from a conversation at the training ground at Palace,” Olise revealed. “One of the coaches was talking about kaizen. Afterward, I looked into it. The idea of improving every day, little by little, until you reach a certain level. I relate to that philosophy.”
For Olise, his ideology in “kaizen” has paid off and then some, transforming from another youth in the wind to being looked at as one of the torch bearers entering the next generation of European soccer.
Olise and France open up their attempt to make it a three-peat of World Cup Finals on Tuesday, as they take on Senegal in one of the more highly-anticipated matches of the first round of the group stage.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 11:39 AM.