R. Rakendu, Pune
French footballer Olivier Giroud on the 15th of July, Monday announced his retirement from international football, soon after Euro 2024 came to an end. The 37-year-old Giroud is the all-time leading goal scorer for France. In the 137 matches that he played; Olivier Giroud holds 57 goals to his name. The player mentioned that his career in the French football team was not always smooth. He had to face criticism, but he never stopped believing. He had served his country in the French Football team for the past 13 years of his life, and all those memories will be engraved in his heart forever.
Olivier Giroud’s international debut match in the French team was against the United States, which France won 1-0 on their home ground on 11th November 2011. In 2012, the player scored his first international goal in a match against the football team of Germany. His international hat-trick was scored by him in a friendly match against the team of Paraguay in 2017. He was able to score his maximum number of goals against the football teams of Australia and Iceland. He surpassed the record of French footballer Thierry Henry of 51 goals by scoring a goal against the team of Poland in the 16th round of the FIFA World Cup 2022 which was held on 4th December 2022.
Giroud is praised for his combination with his teammates, his overall performance, and his football skills. He is often referred to as a ‘Complete Stricker’. The player has indeed shown stellar performances, having scored 5 goals in the FIFA World Cup, and holds 3 goals in his name in the UEFA European Championship, along with 5 goals in the UEFA National League. When it comes to qualification matches, he has scored a total of 6 goals in FIFA World Cup qualification and a total of seven goals in the UEFA European Championship qualification.
During Olivier Giroud’s international career with the French football team, he won the World Cup 2018 and also reached the finals of World Cup 2022 and the finals of Euro 2016. Though he bids farewell to his international career, he will be playing football matches at the club level.