France will begin their World Cup group stage campaign this week and Olivier Giroud is expected to lead the line, according to a report.
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La Gazzetta dello Sport (via MilanNews) writes how a few months ago few thought that Olivier Giroud could be called up for the World Cup at all, but his form at Milan convinced head coach Didier Deschamps to take him to Qatar.
However, another sliding doors moment has arrived after Karim Benzema’s injury, because the Milan centre-forward is also destined to be a starter given the decision not to call up a replacement for the Real Madrid man.
Giroud was not part of Deschamps’ plans because he played very little at his old club Chelsea but with the Rossoneri – whom he joined in summer 2021 – he returned to having a leading role and also scored some hugely significant goals in the Scudetto win.
The French centre-forward himself is aware that his performance at Milan was decisive for his call up for the World Cup: “To go to the national team you have to be decisive with your club and I feel great at Milan. If this is the best moment of my career? I don’t know, but I feel good, it’s a splendid time. This could be my last big tournament but we’ll see it at the end. As long as my body allows me, I won’t set any limits.”
Giroud also has an important personal target in this World Cup, which is to surpass Thierry Henry and become the top scorer in the history of the French national team (Giroud has 49 goals, the former Arsenal man got 51).
