Before becoming the top scorer in the history of the Blues, Olivier Giroud did not experience any selection among young people, even being excluded from an internship with the French under-16 team.
Olivier Giroud had a very unusual start before becoming top scorer in Ligue 1 with Montpellier then a key striker in the Premier League, in addition to being the center forward of Didier Deschamps’ French team – and even the top scorer in the history of the French selection. Originally from a small town near Grenoble, he trained at GF38. A family choice.
Giroud has never been a young prodigy, he has not played in any French youth team, unlike most of his teammates, 2018 world champions and 2022 vice-world champions. After winning the National Cup of 14 years with the Rhône-Alpes selection, scoring a double in the final, he participated in training with the French under-16 selection, but was sent home by Pierre Mankowski. Yoann Gourcuff and Yohan Cabaye were there.
Golazo, the podcast from Sports.fr and French Football Weekly, looks back on the funny journey of Olivier Giroud, from his Grenoble region to Montpellier, passing mainly through Istres and Tours, where he revealed himself in the National then in the League 2. The 1.93m player discovered Ligue 1 at the age of 23 and fought wherever he went to offer his determination and generosity on the pitch. He is still a top player at the age of 37 (since September 30).
