An IMGlobalWealth.com News Report
Footballer Michael Olise’s career illustrates how multiple nationalities can broaden personal and professional horizons while expanding global mobility.
Michael Olise was made in England but chose France. Born in London to a Nigerian-British father and a French-Algerian mother, Bayern Munich’s playmaker could have represented England, France, Nigeria or Algeria. His decision to wear Les Bleus, and his performances at the World Cup, have made him a timely emblem of an old anxiety: can someone truly belong to more than one nation?
“A second nationality need not halve allegiance. Properly harnessed, it can double opportunity, and enlarge the country that welcomes it”
Football supplies a compelling answer. France has gained a player trained in English academies, shaped by several family traditions and connected to a wider diaspora. Jamal Musiala, raised partly in England, chose Germany after playing for England’s youth teams; Dutch-born Hakim Ziyech chose Morocco. Their choices did not erase one identity in favour of another. They converted layered identities into sporting advantage.
(c) Bryan Berlin
The same logic extends well beyond the pitch. British-Albanian singer Dua Lipa has used her global reach to promote Albanian and Kosovan culture and support arts initiatives in Kosovo. Hungarian-born biochemist Katalin Karikó developed the research underpinning mRNA vaccines, which use temporary genetic instructions to teach the immune system to recognise and defend against a specific virus, while working at institutions in Hungary, America and Germany. Such careers show how people who cross borders carry ideas, languages, audiences and professional networks with them. Dual nationality is not itself a talent; it is a mechanism that can help talent circulate.
The numbers reinforce the point. The OECD counted 10m migrant entrepreneurs in 2022. Migrants represented 17% of the self-employed across its members, up from 11% in 2006. Between 2011 and 2021, migrant self-employment created an estimated 3.9m jobs in 25 OECD countries, 15% of their total employment growth. In America, foreign-born people accounted for 19% of STEM workers and 43% of doctorate-level scientists and engineers in 2021. These figures measure migration, not dual nationality, but they reveal the economic value of lives spanning borders.
This is where well-governed investment migration can make its strongest case. Its purpose should not be merely to exchange money for documents. Properly designed, it can attract founders, scientists, investors and philanthropists, alongside capital and international connections. The bargain must remain credible: rigorous due diligence, transparent rules and demonstrable contribution are essential.
Olise’s story is therefore more than sporting theatre. A second nationality need not halve allegiance. Properly harnessed, it can double opportunity, and enlarge the country that welcomes it.
