With 57 achievements on the clock – in 137 selections – Olivier Giroud can boast of being the top scorer in the history of the French team. While he retired international at the end of Euro 2024 last summer, the interested party is preparing to be honored this Sunday at the Stade de France, on the sidelines of the quarter -final return of the League of Nations between the Blues and the Croats.
“” I wanted the elders to benefit from a tribute from the fansdixit Philippe Diallo, the president of the French Football Federation (FFF), last week.
It is Olivier Giroud's turn to receive a tribute from the Blues and the FFF for his journey with the national selection. »A well -deserved distinction for a most loyal element – a real pillar in the course of Didier Deschamps at the controls of the tricolor armada.
Deschamps evokes the Giroud paradox
“” We spent twelve years together, in selection. Its longevity speaks of itself. It is his merit. What I remember first is his visceral attachment to the blue jerseyblows the Bayonnais technician, thus relayed by the team, concerning Oiizier Giroud. Like me, he has always placed the French team above everything, even when he has experienced less happy periods. When we leave for Qatar to compete in the World Cup (2022), He knows very well, at the start, that he will not necessarily be a holder. The circumstances (Karim Benzema's injury, editor's note) made it in the first game. And it was in Qatar that he became the top scorer in the history of the French team. »»
In the eyes of Didier Deschamps, however, the story of Olivier Giroud with the Blues was sometimes tumultuous, and this unjustly. “” I remember from Olivier in particular the final of the 2018 World Cup, necessarily, because it leads to a victory that binds us for life. Olivier was a little mocked because he did not score during this tournament, but he played a very important role in Russia. Olivier's paradox may be there: he is the top scorer in the history of the Blues when he was first turned towards the collective. (…) Olivier also succeeded thanks to his mental strength. In difficult times, he never gave up anything. »»
