French football star Michael Olise accused of neglecting secret daughter

The 24-year-old midfielder is currently embroiled in a legal dispute over child custody and alimony payments.

German newspaper Bild revealed that Olise has a 20-month-old daughter with 34-year-old Fatima Zaunbrecher. This marks the first time she has spoken publicly about her relationship with the footballer.

“How heartless can you be towards your child?” Zaunbrecher told Bildadding that Olise’s “callousness” was devastating.

According to Zaunbrecher, Olise has not spoken to her directly since the birth of their daughter, Aaliyah Noor. The woman from Dusseldorf, Germany, stated that all communication has been strictly handled through their lawyers. She also claimed that the amount of child support Olise’s legal team initially offered is unbelievably small.

However, reports from Daily Mail offer a different perspective. Sources close to the French player insisted that Olise has never refused to see his daughter and that he offered a reasonable amount of financial support to assist with childcare.

Zaunbrecher recounted that she and Olise initially connected on Instagram in 2022, while the midfielder was playing for Premier League side Crystal Palace. They exchanged messages for approximately two months before she flew to London for their first official date.

“He’s half Algerian, I’m half Moroccan,” she told Bild. “They’re neighbouring countries after all. He also dislikes large crowds and parties, just like me. When he tried to kiss me on our first date, I stopped him and told him we should get to know each other better. He accepted that. From then on, I flew to London regularly.”

The relationship eventually went downhill due to Olise’s excessive time on PlayStation, and Zaunbrecher also began to suspect the French forward of infidelity.

Just two weeks after they broke up over these suspicions, Zaunbrecher discovered she was pregnant. She stated that Olise personally requested a paternity test, which was conducted in Munich. The results confirmed that he was the biological father of Aaliyah.

While Zaunbrecher has gone public with her claims, those close to Olise denied that the player has avoided his responsibilities or refused contact with his child.

Following the reveal from Zaunbrecher, Olise’s Instagram account was flooded with comments from fans and critics. In response to the growing backlash, the 24-year-old disabled the comments section.

Alongside the interview, Bild also published documents that are reportedly the DNA test results confirming Olise’s paternity.

Neither Olise nor his representatives have released a public statement addressing the allegations.

This scandal surfaces at the peak of Olise’s career. Coming off a brilliant club campaign that saw him crowned Bundesliga Player of the Year with 25 goals and 28 assists, the Bayern Munich star carried his stellar form into the 2026 World Cup.

He registered seven assists in eight matches for France during the tournament, officially breaking Pele’s 56-year-old record for the most assists by a player in one World Cup.