VShis is the story of an underrated guy, to paraphrase Coluche. Eleven years that the scenario repeats itself; regardless of his feats. By scoring twice against Australia on November 22, when the French team entered the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Olivier Giroud became the top scorer in the history of Les Bleus. . The AC Milan striker has equaled the record of Thierry Henry, world champion in 1998, with a total now increased to 51 achievements.
One more goal and the Savoyard will sit alone at the top of this ranking, ahead of all the talents in the history of French football, from Michel Platini to Raymond Kopa, via Zinedine Zidane. Not bad for a player with limited technical qualities compared to the names mentioned above. At 36, Olivier Giroud was not even certain, a few weeks ago, of being invited to participate in the World Cup.
“Finding playing time. Since the beginning of my career, this has always been my first concern, even if for that I have to play in a lower division. »Olivier Giroud in 2011
The beginnings of this unexpected trajectory can be read in the portrait dedicated to him The world, on October 30, 2011, on its website. This is the first time that the name of the attacker has been cited by the daily. “Football France is getting to know Olivier Giroud. And the player seems determined to do everything not to be forgotten, ” writes Frédéric Sougey, under the title “Olivier Giroud, born scorer”. The person concerned, who was then playing in Ligue 1, in Montpellier, had certainly just scored 8 goals in 12 games. But it takes flair to bet on the destiny of a player who has mainly scoured the grounds of Ligue 2, National or CFA at the age of 25. 2. Either the upper level antechamber.
Even the coaches crossed in his career struggle to believe in his abilities. “Finding playing time. Since the beginning of my career, this has always been my first concern, even if for that I have to play in a lower division”, then tells Olivier Giroud to explain his wanderings in Grenoble, Istres or Tours, far from footballing glamor.
First national selection
The young man is the needy type, at an age when Kylian Mbappé will lift the World Cup trophy. “I also needed to learn how to do my dishes on my own,” smiles Olivier Giroud, feeding his initiation story with a simplicity to be taught in communication schools. However, it should not be taken for a bruise. “I am an ambitious person”, he assumes, confident dreaming of the France team. A wish granted, a few days later, on November 11, with a first selection during a friendly match against the United States. The first goal came shortly after, in February 2012, during a match against Germany.
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