Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise and Luis Díaz are producing numbers that demand comparison with the iconic Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry. The statistics are staggering: Olise has 26 Bundesliga goal involvements this season (10 goals, 16 assists) while Díaz has 23 (13 goals, 10 assists), making them the only two players in Europe’s top five leagues with double figures for both goals and assists. Their combined 49 goal involvements already surpasses Robben and Ribéry’s best-ever single-season total together (41 in 2011-12), with 12 games remaining.
Bayern director of sport Max Eberl recently compared Olise to Robben (“delicate, elegant”) and Díaz to Ribéry (“creative chaos maker”), but the data reveals notable differences. While Robben and Ribéry averaged more crosses, Olise and Díaz get closer to goal more often, averaging 8.7 and 8.9 touches in the opposition box per 90 respectively. With Harry Kane converting at a remarkable 30.6% rate and Bayern averaging 3.7 goals per game across 22 Bundesliga matches (82 total goals), the question isn’t whether Olise and Díaz are productive—it’s whether they can match the longevity that made Robben and Ribéry truly legendary.
Table of Contents
Bayern’s Goal-Scoring Machine
The Numbers Are Ridiculous
Bayern Munich are scoring goals this season like they have an addiction to Galop Infernal from Jacques Offenbach’s opera Orpheus in the Underworld, or the “can-can” music. That’s the song played after every goal at Bayern, and if you’ve seen them at home this season, it might be stuck in your brain like an earworm.
After 22 Bundesliga games in 2025-26, Vincent Kompany’s men have fired in a remarkable 82 goals, an average of 3.7 per game. With a six-point advantage over second-place Borussia Dortmund, Bayern are well on course to seal yet another Bundesliga title.
| Stat | Performance |
|---|---|
| Goals | 82 in 22 games |
| Average | 3.7 goals per game |
| Title race | 6 points clear of Dortmund |
| Record chase | Need 20 more in 12 games to break 101-goal record (Bayern 1971-72) |
The Dynamic Duo: Olise and Díaz
Harry Kane Is Obvious, But…
Harry Kane has obviously played a big part in Bayern’s goal-scoring rampage. The England striker has 26 goals in the league this season, at least twice as many as any other Bundesliga player, and already as many as he scored in the whole of last season.
However, two other chief weapons also plucked from the Premier League are playing huge roles themselves.
Michael Olise — Standout Consistency
Michael Olise had a standout debut season in Germany in 2024-25, with 27 Bundesliga goal involvements (12 goals, 15 assists), and he’s backed that up with another solid campaign.
| Season | Goals | Assists | Total | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 12 | 15 | 27 | — |
| 2025-26 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 22 |
| Career | 22 | 31 | 53 | 50 |
The former Crystal Palace winger already has 26 goal involvements in the league (10 goals, 16 assists).
Luis Díaz — Immediate Impact
Luis Díaz arrived from Liverpool last summer and has taken no time at all getting settled in Germany. The Colombian has 23 Bundesliga goal involvements in 21 games (13 goals, 10 assists).
| Context | Performance |
|---|---|
| Goals | 13 (already more than Ribéry’s best: 12 in 2011-12) |
| Assists | 10 |
| Total | 23 in 21 games |
| Liverpool best | 18 goal involvements (Premier League 2024-25) |
Only Double-Digit Goals AND Assists Duo in Europe
The potency of the pair is unparalleled. Olise and Díaz are the only two players in Europe’s top five leagues to have double figures for both goals and assists this season.
Creation Masters
Chance Creation
They are Bayern’s chief creators and among the best in Europe for making chances:
| Player | Open-play chances created | Rank in Europe’s top 5 leagues |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Olise | 48 | Only 4 players have more |
| Luis Díaz | 45 | Only 6 players have more |
Big Chances and Expected Assists
| Player | Big chances created | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Olise | 21 | Only Inter’s Federico Dimarco (26) has more |
| Luis Díaz | — | — |
Expected assists (xA):
- Olise: 12.4 xA (at least 4.1 more than any other player in Europe’s top 5 leagues)
- Next best: Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (8.3)
The Robben and Ribéry Comparison
Eberl’s Quote
Bayern’s director of sport, Max Eberl, recently said: “When I see [Olise’s] position and moves, he resembles Arjen Robben. We were just talking about it in the dressing room. He’s kind of like the new Robben we have – delicate, elegant.”
“And with Lucho [Díaz] on the other side, we have the Franck Ribéry type, the creative chaos maker. Our wing duo is exceptional.”
The Legacy of Robben and Ribéry
The trio of Leroy Sané, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry have also produced plenty from wide attacking positions for Bayern in recent years, but this does feel like the first time since both Robben and Ribéry left the club in 2019 that they have had this level of consistent output from their wingers.
Between them, Robben and Ribéry totalled:
- 330 goal involvements in 474 Bundesliga games for Bayern
- 477 goal involvements in 732 games across all competitions
Their most productive season as a pair in the Bundesliga was 2011-12, when they managed 41 goal involvements between them (Ribéry 24, Robben 17).
Current Duo Already Surpassing Single-Season Record
| Pair | Combined goal involvements | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Robben + Ribéry (best) | 41 | 2011-12 |
| Olise + Díaz | 49 | 2025-26 (with 12 games remaining) |
Olise and Díaz have a combined 76 goal involvements from 76 Bundesliga games, and 105 in 131 outings across all competitions.
The Harry Kane Factor
Record-Breaking Conversion
Playing with Kane, who has 26 league goals and a 30.6% conversion rate in 2025-26, has obviously helped Olise and Díaz rack up the assists.
| Context | Performance |
|---|---|
| Bayern shot conversion | 19.7% (including blocked shots) |
| Rank | Best by any team in German top-flight season on record (since 2004-05) |
| Previous best | Borussia Dortmund 18.9% (2019-20) |
| Bayern’s previous best | 17.0% (2020-21) |
Robben and Ribéry Had Great Strikers Too
Robben and Ribéry played with some pretty good strikers themselves, though, including:
- Luca Toni
- Miroslav Klose
- Mario Gomez
- Robert Lewandowski
Differences in Style
Chance Creation Comparison
Olise and Díaz aren’t necessarily creating more chances than Robben and Ribéry at their peak:
| Player | Season | Chances created per 90 |
|---|---|---|
| Olise | 2025-26 | 3.1 |
| Díaz | 2025-26 | 2.4 |
| Ribéry (peak) | 2007-08 | 3.8 |
| Robben (peak) | 2011-12 | 2.9 |
Crossing Numbers Down
Robben and Ribéry put in more open-play crosses:
| Player | Season | Open-play crosses per 90 | Successful |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ribéry (peak) | 2007-08 | 5.9 | 1.2 |
| Robben (peak) | 2010-11 | 4.2 | 1.0 |
| Olise | 2025-26 | 2.6 | 0.7 |
| Díaz | 2025-26 | 2.0 | 0.3 |
That could owe more to the difference in styles. Kompany has Olise and Díaz playing a more modern game that invites them to get closer to goal more often.
Touches in Opposition Box
| Player | Touches in opp box per 90 |
|---|---|
| Olise | 8.7 |
| Díaz | 8.9 |
| Ribéry | Only 2 of 12 seasons exceeded this |
| Robben | Only 1 of 10 seasons exceeded this |
Shots Per 90
Ribéry never averaged as many shots per 90 as either:
- Olise: 3.7 shots per 90
- Díaz: 3.3 shots per 90
Individual Brilliance
Michael Olise — Record-Breaking Assists
Olise really has been sensational since his move to Bayern:
- 24 assists in first 50 Bundesliga appearances (no other player on record since 2004-05 has provided as many in first 50 games)
- Three assists off the bench vs RB Leipzig (5-1 win, January 2026; plus scored; only second player since 2004-05 after Ribéry vs Wolfsburg 2019)
- Six consecutive Bundesliga games with at least one assist (only Thomas Müller in 2021 achieved 7 for Bayern since 2004-05)
- 16 assists this season (surpassed last season’s 15)
Luis Díaz — Best Numbers of Career
With 23 goals and assists in the Bundesliga, Díaz has already beaten his best total of goal involvements for Liverpool in the Premier League (18 in 2024-25).
| Context | Performance |
|---|---|
| Three goal involvements in one match | 4 times this season |
| Rank | Second most of all players (only Kane with 5) |
| Goals (13) | Already more than Ribéry ever managed (12 in 2011-12) |
| Potential | Could better Robben’s best (17 goals in 2014-15) |
Reliability: A Key Difference
Consistent Availability
There is also reliability to consider. Olise and Díaz have both missed just one league game each this season, and that regular availability has likely been a factor in the consistency of their output.
| Player | Bundesliga seasons | Avg appearances | Best appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ribéry | 12 | 22.8 per season | 32 (2011-12; only time over 28) |
| Robben | 10 | 20.1 per season | Never over 28 |
| Olise | 2 | — | 22 so far (2025-26) |
| Díaz | 1 | — | 21 so far (2025-26) |
By comparison, in a combined 23 Bundesliga campaigns, Ribéry only once featured in more than 28 games, while Robben never did.
The Longevity Question
Where Robben and Ribéry Win
None of this is to talk Robben or Ribéry’s accomplishments down. They were two outstanding wingers who played a significant role in Bayern’s illustrious history over a long period, and that Olise and Díaz are being compared to them is a huge compliment.
Where Robben and Ribéry likely will come out on top in any future debate is their longevity:
- Robben: 10 seasons at Bayern (2009-2019)
- Ribéry: 12 seasons at Bayern (2007-2019)
With Díaz 29 years old, and Olise (24) being linked with a move back to the Premier League already, it seems unlikely either will spend as long in Germany as Robben and Ribéry did.
Most Productive Pair in Europe Right Now
But for the time being, they are the most productive pair of wingers in European football. Comparisons with past players will always be subjective, but that’s half the fun of football discussion.
How many more goals can Bayern Munich plunder this season? The sky really does feel like the limit. They only need another 20 in their last 12 games to break the Bundesliga record of 101 goals, achieved by Bayern themselves in the 1971-72 campaign.
The form of Díaz and Olise will likely play a big part in how high they can raise the bar.
Read More: La Liga’s First American Coach, Pellegrino Matarazzo Is Rewriting Real Sociedad’s Identity
FAQs
How many combined goal involvements do Olise and Díaz have this season?
Olise (10 goals, 16 assists) and Díaz (13 goals, 10 assists) have 49 combined Bundesliga goal involvements, already surpassing Robben and Ribéry’s best single-season total together (41 in 2011-12) with 12 games remaining.
Are Olise and Díaz the only players in Europe with double-digit goals AND assists?
Yes. They are the only two players in Europe’s top five leagues to have double figures for both goals and assists this season (2025-26).
How does Michael Olise’s assist record compare historically?
Olise assisted 24 goals in his first 50 Bundesliga appearances — no other player on record (since 2004-05) has provided as many in their first half-century of Bundesliga games.
How many goals is Bayern Munich averaging this season?
Bayern have scored 82 goals in 22 Bundesliga games, averaging 3.7 goals per game. They need just 20 more in their last 12 games to break the Bundesliga record of 101 goals (Bayern 1971-72).
What is the main difference between Olise/Díaz and Robben/Ribéry?
While Robben and Ribéry averaged more crosses and chances created, Olise and Díaz get closer to goal more often (8.7 and 8.9 touches in opposition box per 90 vs rarely exceeding this for Robben/Ribéry) and have better availability (both missed just 1 league game vs Ribéry averaging 22.8 and Robben 20.1 appearances).
