Michael Olise vs Bukayo Saka
Two left-footed right wingers born 98 days apart in west London, who played against each other as boys and have since gone separate ways: Saka at Arsenal and England, Olise at Bayern and France.
By the Oddsivio teamLast reviewed Stats updated
Last season · club and country together · official matches
Who does what?
Last season, Michael Olise created more chances, had more assists and completed a higher share of passes; the two were too close to call on goals.
Worth knowing: Michael Olise had 5,093 minutes last season, Bukayo Saka 3,791.
What separates them
3 of 4 pass both our tests: a big enough gap, and sure enough to hold.
- Olise
- Saka
- Typical forwards
- Goals per 90Too close to call0.4224 goals0.3615 goals
Not sure enough to name a leader.
- Chances created per 90Olise led2.9166 chances2.4102 chances
About 15 more chances created over 30 full matches for Olise than Saka.
Held up next season: about 7 in 10
- Assists per 90Olise led0.6436 assists0.2611 assists
About two and a half times as many assists: about 11 more over 30 full matches.
Held up next season: about 8 in 10
- Pass completion share of passes completedOlise led86%50%100%79%
Pass completion depends a lot on role and team.
Held up next season: about 9 in 10
Per 90 = per 90 minutes played, so different minutes compare fairly.
Does it hold up?
Without penalties
Michael Olise led (0.42 vs 0.28 per 90; 24 goals to 12).
How they play · volume, not a lead
Bukayo Saka made more tackles (1.6 vs 1.1 per 90); Michael Olise tried more take-ons (5.1 vs 3.8 per 90) last season.
Why this comparison
Bukayo Saka was born in Ealing on 5 September 2001 and Michael Olise in White City on 12 December 2001. According to The Athletic, they faced each other as boys in the same west London grassroots league, Saka for Greenford Celtic and Olise for Hayes & Yeading. Saka went on to Arsenal's Hale End academy and has never left the club. Olise was released by Chelsea's academy, went on to Manchester City and broke through at Reading, then joined Crystal Palace in 2021 and Bayern Munich in July 2024.
Their countries split them as well. Saka played for England from under-16 level up and won his first senior cap in October 2020. Olise was picked first by France, for the under-18s in 2019, and made his senior France debut against Italy in September 2024.
Every number · last season
| OliseMichael Olise | Stat | SakaBukayo Saka |
|---|---|---|
5,093 | Minutes | 3,791 |
65 | Matches | 59 |
77.1Star · 40 club games · as of 2026-10-12 | Current squad importance | 63.05Important · 40 club games · as of 2026-10-12 |
0.4224 in total | goals per 90 | 0.3615 in total |
0.6436 in total | assists per 90 | 0.2611 in total |
2.9166 in total | chances created per 90 | 2.4102 in total |
2.4137 in total | shots per 90 | 2.084 in total |
5.1289 in total | take-ons tried per 90 | 3.8158 in total |
1.163 in total | tackles per 90 | 1.667 in total |
0.527 in total | interceptions per 90 | 0.626 in total |
6.1347 in total | duels won per 90 | 6.1255 in total |
86% | pass completion | 79% |
Goals and assists are counted from match events; the other counts come from the provider's detailed match stats. Squad importance describes the current club role over its recent club-game window; it is independent of the comparison window.
Have they played each other?
Before October 2026 they had met four times in competitive matches: two Premier League games while Olise was at Crystal Palace, a Champions League league-phase game in November 2025 and the 2026 World Cup third-place match. In the first, in October 2021, they were never on the pitch together, as Saka went off at half-time and Olise came on in the 71st minute. Olise missed four other Palace–Arsenal games through injury. In Miami on 18 July 2026, England beat France 6–4 for third place: Saka scored a hat-trick and Olise set up both of Kylian Mbappé's goals. The Champions League league-phase draw paired Bayern and Arsenal again, and they meet next in Munich on 21 October 2026.
Looking up their matches…
What the numbers don't show
On paper they share a job. Both are left-footed and play mainly on the right, cutting inside, and our lineup data for the two years to September 2026 puts nine in ten of Saka's minutes and about three in four of Olise's at right wing. The difference is where else they go. At the 2026 World Cup, France used Olise as the central attacking midfielder in six of their eight games. Mikel Arteta tried Saka as a right-sided No 8 in an FA Cup tie in February 2026 and said afterwards that Arsenal might use it again.
Availability split them in 2025–26. Transfermarkt counts 15 games missed by Saka that season: a hamstring injury in August, a hip problem at the start of February and an Achilles injury that kept him out for a month from late March. He was reported to be managing the Achilles throughout the World Cup, where he was an unused substitute in England's semi-final. By September 2026, Transfermarkt listed no injury absence for Olise since he joined Bayern in July 2024, although he had two long hamstring lay-offs at Palace, in 2023 and 2024.
In 2025–26 Arsenal won the Premier League, their first league title since 2004, and Bayern won the Bundesliga with a record 122 goals and added the German Cup. Each plays more of his minutes in his own league than in any other competition, the Bundesliga for Olise and the Premier League for Saka, so the per-90 rows compare output against different opposition.
Estimated value
Michael Olise's Oddsivio estimated value is higher: €213m (#2 of 9,335 players valued) to Bukayo Saka's €120m (#10 of 9,335 players valued). Olise's estimate rose 33% since season start; Saka's estimate dipped 7% since season start.Oddsivio estimated value — a model estimate from recent performance data, not betting advice.
Michael Olise
Oddsivio estimated value
€213m
+33% since season start
#2 of 9,335 players valued#1 of 435 in the Bundesliga
Bukayo Saka
Oddsivio estimated value
€120m
−7% since season start
#10 of 9,335 players valued#6 of 495 in the Premier League
Questions fans ask
Have Olise and Saka played against each other?
Yes, four times in competitive matches before October 2026. Saka's side won three and drew one, and across those games Saka scored five goals and set up two while Olise set up three. New meetings join the list the day after they are played.
Who is older, Olise or Saka?
Saka, by 98 days: he was born on 5 September 2001 and Olise on 12 December 2001, and both grew up in west London.
Have Olise and Saka ever played together?
Not as senior players: Saka has only played senior football for Arsenal and England, and Olise for Reading, Crystal Palace, Bayern Munich and France. Olise spent some time training at Arsenal's academy as a boy, but what is on record is that the two faced each other in west London youth football.
Why does Olise play for France and not England?
Olise was born in London to a British-Nigerian father and a Franco-Algerian mother, which made him eligible for four national teams. France picked him first, for the under-18s in 2019. The Reading scout who recruited him told The Irish Times in July 2026 that France were the first to select him, and that by the time England came in for him at under-20 level, he was happy where he was.
What have Olise and Saka won?
By September 2026, Saka had won the Premier League, the FA Cup and three Community Shields with Arsenal, and with England had finished runner-up at two Euros and third at the 2026 World Cup. Olise had won the Bundesliga twice, the German Cup and two German Supercups with Bayern, and Olympic silver with France in 2024. His seven assists at the 2026 World Cup were the most at a single tournament on record, which goes back to 1966. In the Ballon d'Or, Saka was 24th in 2023 and 21st in 2024; Olise was 30th in 2025 and made the 30-player shortlist for 2026, announced in September 2026, which Saka did not.
How do their 2026/27 numbers compare?
Choose 2026/27 at the top of the page to follow the new season. It names a leader only once both have played 1,800 minutes, because early per-90 figures swing a lot. France have a new coach, Zinedine Zidane, appointed in July 2026, and in his first game, on 25 September 2026, Olise set up Mbappé's winner in Türkiye.