DOHA, Qatar — On Tuesday night, a few minutes later Franceprevious victory PolandThe French players all gathered in their dressing rooms to celebrate the victory but also to give the perfect welcome Olivier Giroud. About an hour earlier, No. 9 scored the opening goal, becoming the all-time leading scorer in the history of French men’s football with 52 goals in 117 appearances, an unbelievable achievement.
The AC Milan striker hit an amazing milestone and write a new page in football history as well as a new chapter in his incredible career. Les Bleus Had to wait a while though to congratulate him. Giroud was selected to be tested for doping after the game, so his teammates had to wait for him to return to the hotel to start the party.
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There is a blend of pure happiness and pride but also relief and excitement. To get past Thierry Henry, who has scored 51 goals in 126 caps, at the World Cup, aged 36, in front of his family, in a clutch match, nothing can beat this. He will keep the shirt and frame it for the days he gets older. Of course, he will be honored by the French Football Federation but for now, he is just enjoying the moment and what he has accomplished.
“It’s unbelievable, beating Thierry Henry’s record is a kid’s dream. I’m so proud. I hope I’ll score a few more goals to go as far as I can. Now, I’m on my way. I put this aside and my obsession is to go as far with the team as possible.As soon as I score, I think about my family, my children, my friends.To do this at a World Cup is to be something extraordinary,” he said after the match on French television.
On Monday, he takes a day off like the rest of the team and spends time with his loved ones. He also started responding to hundreds of congratulatory messages he received from friends, teammates, former teammates. Everyone loves Giroud and this record is testament to an incredible career.
There was a sense of destiny when earlier last week all the French players took a picture wearing their first club shirt, from when they were kids. Giroud was there with his Forges OFC, where it all began, in Savoie where he was born and raised. At that time, football was fun for him. Then it gets more complicated.
Despite having signed Grenoble, the region’s major club once in Ligue 1 but now relegated to the second division, things did not go smoothly. He had to go to the lower leagues, only to be recognized at the age of 26 in Ligue 1 when he led Montpellier to the title in 2012. He moved to England that same summer and despite having plenty of goals and trophies for weapon and Chelseahe probably didn’t get the credit and love he deserved there.
However, on Sunday he made it to the list of French players, on par with the likes of Reymond Kopa, Zinedine Zidane, Michel Platini, Thierry Henry. Yes, Giroud isn’t technically as talented as these all-time greats but he got there with hard work and faith, by never giving up and always fighting.
“His story is extraordinary and should be an inspiration to everyone. I knew him when he was nothing and he is what he is now: humble, hardworking, in great spirit. . Nothing was given to him. He had to Work his way to the top and fight to get everything he has today and everything he has achieved. his good friend and former team-mate at Tours, Arsenal and France, explains Laurent Koscielny.
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📸 Les Bleus pays tribute to their first amateur clubs#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/8WI5GFOYV8
— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) December 2, 2022
It all started 10 years ago in February 2012, when Olivier Giroud scored his first international goal in his first match and his third appearance before. Germany in a friendly. At that point, he would never have thought that he would add 51 more people to his list. “I’ll do my best to score as many goals as I can,” he told ESPN after the game. We are here in December 2022 and he is 52 years old and growing.
Now, he turns his attention to England on Saturday. He loved his nine years in London. His children were born in the capital and he loves playing in the Premier League. That’s really where his career took off. Will he have a point to prove? Does he feel bitter and regretful? After winning the World Cup, Champions League, Europa League, tournaments in two different countries (France and Italy) and four FA Cups, scoring 258 goals in 640 professional games and currently holding the record, he feels he has nothing to prove to anyone.
All he wants now is to enjoy the final months and years of his glorious career.
