‘He always placed the French team above everything’ – Didier Deschamps reflects on Olivier Giroud’s France career | OneFootball

Ahead of Sunday’s UEFA Nations League match against Croatia, France’s manager is paying tribute to France’s record goalscorer. Olivier Giroud (38) will be honoured on Sunday ahead of France’s decisive encounter at the Stade de France.

His longtime manager with Les Bleus, Didier Deschamps, had high praise for the Los Angeles FC striker: “His longevity speaks for itself. That is his merit. What I remember first is his visceral attachment to the blue jersey. Like me, he always placed the French team above everything, even when he had less happy periods,” said Deschamps.

Giroud was a part of the French team that won the 2018 World Cup. The Ligue 1 champion at Montpellier HSC netted 57 times for Les Bleus, scoring four goals in their run to the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.

He was not expected to get much playing time at that tournament, only coming in as a starter after Karim Benzema (37) was ruled out with an injury. The man born in Chambéry made his international debut for France under Deschamps’ predecessor Laurent Blanc in a November 2011 friendly against the USMNT.

On February 29, 2012, he scored his first international goal in a 2-1 friendly victory over Germany. A former FA Cup winner at Arsenal and a UEFA Champions League and Europa League winner with Chelsa, Giroud had three goals for the national team when they finished as runners-up in the 2016 Euro.

The Ligue 1 top goalscorer in 2011-12 scored his last goal in French colours during a friendly with Chile in Marseille in 2024, a match France won 3-2. His last appearance with Les Bleus was in the semi-finals of Euro 2024, coming on as a substitute in their 2-1 defeat against eventual champions Spain.

In 2018, he was named to the nation’s Legion of Honour after helping France capture their second World Cup title. He made 137 appearances for Les Bleus across all competitions.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre