Former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Giroud to join MLS side LAFC after Euros | OneFootball

Olivier Giroud will be joining the South American superstars Lionel Messi and  Luis Suarez when he joins former France teammate Hugo Lloris in America and signs for MLS side LAFC after the conclusion of the Euros.

Giroud leaves European football after 18 illustrious years at the highest level, winning trophies in France, England and Italy. The former Arsenal and Chelsea forward, 37, has confirmed he will be leaving AC Milan for the Californian sunshine this summer.

The Frenchman is best known for his six seasons at Arsenal, followed by three years at Chelsea and another three at AC Milan. To date he has scored 285 career goals in 716 matches while winning a wealth of trophies, including the World Cup with France in 2018 and the Champions League with Chelsea three years ago.

Whilst at Arsenal, he also collected four FA Cups and even won the FIFA Puskas award in 2017 for his remarkable scorpion kick goal against Crystal Palace.

He is also his nation’s all-time leading goal scorer with 57 and will be included in the France squad that will travel to the Euros in Germany this summer.

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Giroud has two more matches to play for Milan before the end of the Serie A season. He is now fourth top scorer in Serie A with 14 goals, and is among the league’s top overall playmakers as well.

The MLS side are accustomed to signing former Arsenal forwards too, having had Mexican Carlos Vela as one of their all-time top players.

LAFC’s general manager, John Thorrington said: “The way he fits really complements our attacking group.

“We do have some incredible attackers already here, but I think he will elevate us – not just with his own productivity, but I think what you see with his ability is he’s not just a pure goal scorer.

“He is very good at facilitating play, and that’s what we saw, which is so compelling.

“We’ve never had just a pure goal scorer. That’s not the way we play. I think his combination of skill sets, with his ability to link play, his ability to finish, his tactical mentality, we think he’ll be an incredible addition.”

LAFC are currently fifth in the Western Conference, and manager Steve Cherundolo’s team have certainly not struggled to score this season. The club’s 22 goals in the league are more than every MLS team except Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and rivals LA Galaxy.