Olivier Giroud Proves Crucial In France’s Opener Win, Equals Thierry Henry’s Goal Record

He should’ve been the backup option for 2022 Ballon D’Or Karim Benzema in this FIFA World Cup.

Instead, 36-year-old Olivier Giroud has proven one more time crucial for the France national team, scoring two goals in his side’s comeback win over Australia on Tuesday night.

During his senior career’s most notorious spells at Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan, Giroud scored a total of 106 goals in 297 games, which represent outstanding numbers for one of the most unselfish and hard-working attacking players of this era.

Giroud, who in his career has endured unfair criticism for not being a ruthless goal-scoring machine, never cared too much about chasing personal glory. Instead, through the years, he continued to work on his most distinctive strength: putting his physical prowess, technical skills and soccer IQ at his team’s disposal, prioritizing the collective goal over any kind of individual statistic.

In France’s 2018 FIFA World Cup victory, he finished the tournament without making a single attempt on target, which would be alarming data for any top-notch striker. But because his offensive and defensive contributions were too important for manager Didier Deschamps’s tactical plans, Giroud started six out seven games for Les Bleus, including the glorious 4-2 win in the final against Croatia.

At the club level, Giroud joined Serie A side AC Milan in the summer of 2021, signing a two-year contract worth €3.5 million/year ($3.6m) per SkySports estimates.

With Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic struggling to get consistent playing time due to multiple injuries, Giroud has progressively taken over the scene as the Rossoneri starting center-forward and attacking leader.

In manager Stefano Pioli’s 4-2-3-1 formation, Giroud, 6-foot-4, is the perfect target man, one that is able to link up plays thanks to his vision and delicate touch while simultaneously finishing chances inside of the penalty box.

Giroud played a major role in AC Milan’s run to the 2021/22 Scudetto, including a clutch brace in the derby victory against city rivals and title contenders Inter Milan.

Giroud lifted several domestic and international trophies with his clubs, most notably a UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League with Chelsea, a Ligue 1 title with French side Montpellier and a Scudetto with Serie A’s AC Milan.

Last night, as France defeated Australia in their 2022 FIFA World Cup debut, he reached another milestone of his impressive career, bagging his 51st international goal with France and thus leveling legend Thierry Henry in this prestigious ranking.

Giroud still has the remainder of the tournament in Qatar to surpass “Titi” and set a new goal-scoring record, which would reinforce even more his image as one of our generation’s most talented, and largely underrated, center-forwards.