Who would have thought that we would still be talking about Oliver Giroud possibly leading France into another major tournament this coming summer at Euro 2024? At 37, the AC Milan striker is supposed to be entering the final stages of his career, but he continues to score goals at the highest level and represent Les Bleus with the determination of a man half his age.
On January 31st 2018, when Giroud left Arsenal to join Chelsea, the striker (who had scored 102 goals and led the line admirably across six seasons) was deemed surplus to requirements by the Gunners. It’s with his beloved Les Bleus that he’s arguably had the biggest impact – for his national efforts, he’s never gone unappreciated.
France’s Record Scorer
Classed as sometimes not being the right fit at a club level, or not having all the required attributes, it’s with the national team that he’s galvanised his reputation. The big striker has been key to his nation’s success in recent times, and he will again be key if France are to justify their price of 4/1 in the Euro 2024 odds. As it stands, England is the only team with shorter odds for the tournament.
Having made his debut for Les Blues in 2011, Giroud is now regarded as France’s third most-capped player with 129 appearances, behind only previous captains Hugo Lloris and Lilian Thuram. Giroud’s 56 international goals make him France’s all-time leading goalscorer ahead of legendary names such as Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, and Michel Platini.
How He Leads Les Bleus Forward Line
His connection with Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann and his intelligence to let them play around him has been Giroud’s greatest gift to the French team. This has been evident throughout their time playing for France, none more so than at the 2018 World Cup.
Giroud’s ability to occupy and pin centre halves to certain areas on the perimeter of the penalty area, to allow the industrious and scheming Griezmann to impact games through clever late moments and sublime finishing can’t be underestimated in the context of his own 44 international goals.
Mbappe benefits from Giroud’s presence as much as Griezmann. The team’s ability to play directly to Giroud during games, beating the initial press has been advantageous to Mbappe. Giroud’s obvious game awareness, deftness of touch, and excellent layoffs have put Mbappe into open spaces with the potential to attack fullbacks with his definitive turn of foot.
Oliver Giroud is the perfect foil for the other flare players in the French setup, and there’s no doubt that, if fit, he will play a big part in France’s attempt to win Euro 2024.
Milan Maestro
He may now be 37 and preparing himself to ride off into the sunset, but Giroud still has so much to offer, not just for France, but for AC Milan too. After successful spells at Arsenal and Chelsea, where he won a Champions League, his move to Italy seemed to reignite the fire under the big striker.
He played a key part in Milan’s first Serie A victory in 11 years in his first season at the club and has continued to be a key cog in The Rossoneri’s successes ever since. Giroud is proof that age is just a number as he continues to perform at the highest level of European football.
