Where better to start than Olivier Giroud’s breakout onto the professional scene, Montpellier. Almost immediately, Olivier Giroud’s importance on the football pitch was evident. Montpellier reached their first major final since 1993-94 thanks to his extra-time winning goal against PSG. Despite not winning the final, it was just the beginning of a special couple of years for Giroud at Montpellier. Olivier Giroud finished as the club’s top scorer in his first season with 14 goals and contributed 5 assists. As will be reinforced time and time again, it was not just his goalscoring exploits which impressed, but his ability to be the focal point, linking up with other forwards due to his selfless play. The following season, Olivier Giroud fired Montpellier to their first ever league title, amassing 21 goals and 9 assists in a stellar campaign which saw him named as the Ligue 1 leading goal scorer. The inability of teams to stop Giroud speaks volumes about his mental strength and a mantra the Frenchmen lives by, always believe. Every team tried and failed to stop Giroud.

Inevitably, Olivier Giroud earned his move to Arsenal. The attraction of Premier League football was no doubt a huge factor in his move to London. For someone that blossomed late in football terms, playing Premier League football was a huge achievement. As he did at Montpellier, Giroud did what he does best and scored goals at Arsenal. With 17 goals and 11 assists in his first season, it was a promising start to life in North London. Fast forward to 2018 and Giroud had amassed an outstanding 105 goals and 47 assists for Arsenal to supplement the three FA Cup’s and three community shields won with the gunners. Perhaps the highlight being his infamous scorpion kick which resulted in a Puskas award. It is yet another quality of his game which sets him apart from other strikers, the ability to score the most aesthetically pleasing goals of impeccably high difficulty. Whether it was his brace in the FA Cup quarter final against Middlesborough or a thunderous long-range strike in the Community Shield victory against Man City, Giroud continued to excel in knock out games and contributed heavily to trophies won in his time at Arsenal.

Moving to Chelsea as a former Arsenal striker is no easy task. Winning the support of Chelsea fans as a striker is a hard task as it is. However, Giroud became a fan favorite at the West London club, a quite special achievement. The 119 appearances, 39 goals and 14 assists Giroud provided at Chelsea were of incredible importance. In his first season, Giroud scored a sublime solo goal to fire Chelsea to an FA cup final which they went on to win. In the following season, he finished as the Europa League top scorer with 11 goals and made 5 assists as he carried Chelsea to a European trophy. The season after, Giroud was the reason Chelsea secured a top 4 spot post lockdown with consistent goals in big moments despite being frozen out for the start of the season. In his final season at Chelsea, Giroud was yet again the man for the big occasion as he scored four goals in a UCL game to send Chelsea top of their UCL group before scoring a jaw dropping bicycle kick in the UCL QF’s to defeat Atletico and kick start Chelsea’s UCL dream. Chelsea went on to win the UCL with Giroud finishing as the clubs top scorer in the competition. It is no surprise that Giroud left Chelsea with status as a cult hero, a model professional who never complained when out of favour and worked hard to earn his spot back, delivering special moments for the club consistently.

The move to Milan came at the perfect time for Giroud, in need of regular game time. Start to life at Milan could not have gone better, the striker has become a fan favorite after his stellar first season at the club. Giroud racked up 14 goals in his first season, with every goal being of huge importance and thus his tag of being a big game player intensified. Whether it was the brace to defeat Inter, the reactive finish to down Napoli or the brace to crown Milan as champions against Sassuolo, Giroud turned up in the biggest of moments. This season has been equally as productive for the Frenchman who has already scored and assisted in the Derby Madolina, scored against Napoli and fired Milan to the UCL knockout stages with 2 goals and 2 assists in the deciding group game,. At the age of 36, Giroud is getting better with age and his ever presence is a huge bonus to a side that are aiming to defend their title. Yet again, Giroud will be a crucial part of his team’s chances and the odds are he will not let them down.

Giroud’s club career has been impressive, but his international career deserves just as much credit. At the time of writing, with 51 goals, Giroud has equaled Thierry Henry’s record as France all-time leading scorer. If that alone is not impressive enough, Giroud is a World Cup winner.

Aside from his goal-scoring exploits and trophies won, Olivier Giroud has made a name for himself as a top professional. In the face of adversity, whether it’s unfairly being dropped or responding to media criticism, Giroud responds on the football pitch. Managers have spoken highly of him and almost all that have managed him speak of his mentality and value to the squad. This stems from his work ethic and humbleness which is evidently due to his faith. Arsene Wenger recently stated that we should kneel before Giroud’s career, and nothing was given to him. This is what makes Giroud special, he is reaping the rewards of his own hard work.

This piece’s purpose is to shed light on a truly remarkable career that is not finished yet. Whether it’s on the club or international scene, Giroud has been crucial to his team’s success not just through big goals but also his all-round selfless play which corresponds which his selfless personality and deep-rooted faith. There is no doubt when Giroud retires, the beautiful game will remember him fondly.

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