As Olivier Giroud nears LAFC exit, his legacy is better than his numbers | OneFootball

In the immediate aftermath of LAFC's Club World Cup campaign, several credible reports have emerged indicating Olivier Giroud's underwhelming time at the club is coming to an end. On Friday morning, Fabrizio Romano joined the list of those indicating this was near, as good a sign as any there's fire with the smoke.

If Giroud does leave the Black-and-Gold sooner than later, his on-field production over a calendar year with the club will certainly be considered a disappointment. He scored only two league goals while seeing his role diminish, and four in all competitions.

Buthis overall legacy should be better than his numbers.

A square peg

Giroud was never really a good fit for Steve Cherundolo's system even when he first showed up last summer, and that only became more true after the club closed the book for good on Carlos Vela's playing career following the 2024 postseason.

And bringing a star of Giroud's stature who was being asked to do things he wasn't quite suited for could be a volatile mix. As good as LAFC has been during Steve Cherunolo's tenure, Giroud has accomplished more in his footballing career than anyone else in the Black-and-Gold, save maybe for longtime international teammate and current LAFC No. 1 'keeper Hugo Lloris.

The guy is the all-time leading international goal scorer for France, a nation as decorated as any during the modern era of American soccer. In terms of current MLS players, he's more accomplished than anyone who isn't a former FC Barcelona star on Miami's current roster.

The career honors include:

When Giroud didn't really fit with Cherundolo's tactics, and Cherundolo resisted the urge to substantially alter them for the sake of his most famous player, it was the kind of situation that could've led to a dressing room disaster.

A model teammate

But at least by all outward appearances, that never came close to happening. Throughout his time with the Black-and-Gold, Giroud's countenance was always one of a hard worker and a good teammate, who accepted his reduced role and still cared about the club's best interests first. And the reality is, many players of Giroud's pedigree have egos that wouldn't have permitted such model, humble behavior.

Further, while Giroud never scored goals in bunches for LAFC, he still showed up in several big games. He scored in both finals he played in for LAFC, a 3-1 loss to the Columbus Crew in the Leagues Cup and a 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the U.S. Open Cup.

And although he didn't directly find the net in LAFC's 2-1 win over Club America early this month in the most expensive game in Concacaf, his second-half insertion tilted the game dramatically in the MLS side's favor. As much as any player on the pitch that night, he deserved credit for LAFC earning their bid to play on the World stage.

Even his exit comes at a good time for the club. By making his departure clear this early, he gives the club as much time as reasonably possible to target a replacement to fill his center forward role and Designated Player roster slot.

Giroud never performed to expectations during a year in MLS. And in that context, it's impossible to call him a good signing. But to his enormous credit, his tenure will go down as unremarkable when all the elements were there to make it potentially toxic.

For that alone, all LAFC supporters should wish him a successful final chapter to his playing career, even if the storybook ending comes in Ligue 1 rather than MLS.