Boasting arguably the most balanced and talented team of any nation at the moment, France are one of the favourites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup. One of their crown jewels is Bayern Munich superstar Michael Olise.
Olise enjoyed a spectacular season with his club, scoring 19 goals and providing 20 assists in 51 appearances across all competitions, leading Bayern to a domestic double. His fine performances also earned him the Bundesliga Player of the Year award.
Arriving into the summer full of confidence, Olise has gone from club to international competition without missing a beat. Forming a fearsome attacking quartet alongside Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue, Olise has already provided five assists in four World Cup games, the most of any player so far.
While his fantastic displays on the pitch provide no shortage of talking points, his unique boot choices have also raised plenty of eyebrows.
The most commonly spotted boots at the World Cup are designed by either Nike, Adidas, Puma, New Balance, or Skechers. All these brands have unexpectedly aligned on an unofficial “pink” colourway for the summer, meaning that most players are spotted sporting similar shades of pink on their feet.
Olise, however, has gone against the grain. The winger rocks custom colourways of the iconic Nike Hypervenom Phantom, often choosing to match them with the colour of his kit for any given game.
In his most recent appearance against Sweden, Olise rocked a pair of customised white Phantoms. The pair was designed by LA-based artist Matt DiGiacomo, commonly known on social media as “Matty Boy”. DiGiacomo was previously a designer for luxury streetwear brand Chrome Hearts, which is a brand that Olise also frequents when out and about off the field, suggesting he is a fan of such aesthetics.
Matty Boy departed Chrome Hearts after an 8-year run to pursue his own solo artwork and build his personal brand, focusing on high-end gallery exhibitions and his new independent “Anti-Promo” clothing line.
His signature aesthetic features vibrant, bold, and graphic-heavy artwork And one can see his talent on display in the boots Olise is wearing at this World Cup.
Hand painted to create a one-of-one edition, Olise’s boots against Sweden contained several playful cartoon-like motifs of varying colours, adding multiple layers of personality to the otherwise plain white boots.
Incidentally, this is the second Matty Boy-designed boot Michael Olise has worn at this summer’s World Cup. He debuted the first pair in France’s opening game against Senegal. That pair also used the plain white Hypervenom Phanton as the canvas, but the design was much more minimalistic in comparison.
Such bold style choices are also very much in keeping with Michael Olise’s whole persona and demeanour. The winger seems to pride himself on being different to other footballers, be it in terms of handling his social media profiles, reacting to big moments on the field or simply dealing with the fame that comes with his profession.
Along with upping the style points, Olise’s special boots also seem to be bringing out the best of his game on the field.
Against Senegal, he assisted France’s first goal of the tournament with a cheeky through ball to Kylian Mbappe, while he put in his best performance of the summer so far against Sweden, registering two assists, while also coming within inches of scoring a goal of the tournament contender after his audacious scissor kick crashed off the base of the post.
France’s performances so far have many believing Les Bleus could go all the way this summer. In addition to Olise’s glittering performances, many fans will also be keenly anticipating the style statement he drops via his boot choices in the upcoming rounds.
