Olivier Giroud – An underestimated record holder

It's a very long way from playing in youth training at Grenoble, currently a second-tier club in France, to becoming the top scorer this great soccer country has ever had, and that as a champion title from Italy. Olivier Giroud had his doubts throughout his long and very illustrious career, especially at the clubs he played for, but he was the player who made this journey.

Always second choice, never quite the star at club or international level, the powerhouse striker has made his days on the football pitch count and he's sure to have stories to tell once he hangs up his boots . That day is probably not very far away at this stage, but even if it were to come this month when France's participation in the current World Cup comes to an end, it will probably have no reason to regret. whatever.

Giroud spent time playing for FC Istres and Tours FC, before moving to Montpellier in 2010. Two years of strong performances there earned him a €12m move to Arsenal, and that is of course where he became well known to the general public, the club where he played more games than anywhere else in his career. It was a tally of 253, in which he scored 105 goals and provided 41 assists, and those numbers went hand in hand with three FA Cups and as many Community Shields as the Gunners were still captained by the iconic Arsene Wenger .

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A regular French international in those days, of course, Giroud was included in Didier Deschmaps' squad for the World Cup in Russia, and the greatest achievement of his career followed in the form of the biggest trophy in the world. world transported from Moscow to Paris. He started in all seven matches of this tournament, and although he didn't score and "only" provided two assists, he certainly played an important role in this success.

But that summer, his time at Arsenal came to an end. Chelsea offered around 17 million euros for his services, and with Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang favored up front and Wenger leaving to be replaced by Unai Emery, Giroud went to Stamford Bridge.

He didn't secure a regular starting spot there either, but he did manage to win both the Europa League in 2019 and the Champions League two years later, and his trophy obviously became hugely impressive . Last summer, however, Chelsea paid around €115m to bring back Romelu Lukaku, and Giroud's services once again became redundant.

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It was AC Milan who took advantage of the situation, and Giroud's first season in Italy went down well for him as he fired the Rossoneri to their first Scudetto since 2010/11. And if he thought the year couldn't get any better, that was certainly the case in Qatar when he scored his 52nd international goal, overtaking the legendary Thierry Henry in the ranking of France's all-time top scorers. /p>

At 36, Giroud is still on the biggest stage, and it's worth remembering that neither Lacezette, nor Aubameyang, nor Lukaku, the three players whose presence ousted him from the two clubs he played for in Premier League. Virtually dismissed by both as useless, he eventually moved on to bigger and better things after both transfers.

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The fact is, Giroud probably wouldn't start for France at this World Cup were it not for a rather unfortunate injury suffered by this year's Ballon d'Or winner, Real Madrid star Karim Benzema. Aware of this, Giroud paid tribute to each player left out of the tournament through injury during a recent press conference.

Despite all of his accomplishments, Giroud was never appreciated as much as his quality and contribution deserved, and he still isn't. Perhaps it's time for the footballing world to show some respect for this man, after all he's done for virtually every team he's been on in his long career.