Olivier Giroud will retire from international duty after EURO 2024 | OneFootball

Olivier Giroud (37) will retire from international duty after the Euros. The competition in Germany next month will be the forward’s last competition representing France in a career that has seen him win the 2018 World Cup and reach the final in 2022.

Speaking to L’Équipe, Giroud stated “Obviously I’m going to miss it a lot, but I think my time with the French team will be over after the Euros. I need to cede my place for the young players.” A recognition that it’s time for a new generation to come forward and lead the national side, with players like Marcus Thuram (26) looking ready to take the mantle.

Despite this, Giroud’s retirement will represent a significant loss for the team. His 57 goals in a Les Bleus shirt remain an all-time record, but as the 2018 campaign showed, sometimes his presence in the team was not simply about finishing chances but what he provided for the players around him.

It was a glowing endorsement of his abilities that Kylian Mbappé (25) begged Paris Saint-Germain to buy a striker in the mould of Giroud. Someone he could play off like and someone who could provide him the space with which he could create.

Olivier Giroud – ‘There is still a competition to win’

Giroud admitted that it would be a different tournament for him now that he knows it will be his last. “There is a bit of nostalgia for all those years gone by. Obviously, there will be a lot of emotions, a lot of details, and memories that will resurface, but we have to put that aside and enjoy every moment once again […] emotion must not take over. There is still a competition to win, even if it will be special for me.”

GFFN | Nick Hartland