Birth Date:30 September 1986

Birth Place:Chambéry

Nationality:France

Height:193

Weight:91

Preferred Foot:Left

At AC Milan since:2021

Olivier Giroud has been one of the most successful strikers of the last decade in European football. Born in Chambéry on 30 September 1986, his career started off with spells at Grenoble, Istres and Tours in the lower French divisions before he really started to make a name for himself at Montpellier. Between 2010 and 2012, he made 73 Ligue 1 appearances and scored 33 times. 21 of these goals arrived during the 2011/12 campaign, a season which saw Montpellier become French champions for the very first time.

His impressive performances led to a move to the Premier League, a division he played in for nine seasons. From the summer of 2012 to January 2017, Olivier was on the books of Arsenal, for whom he scored 105 goals in 253 matches and won three FA Cups and the same number of Community Shields. This experience was followed by a spell with cross-city rivals Chelsea, where he netted 39 times in 119 appearances, added another FA Cup medal to his tally (in 2018) and enjoyed trophy success in Europe, too. Indeed, he was part of the Chelsea side that won the 2018/19 Europa League and 2020/21 Champions League, triumphs to which he contributed to with a total of 17 goals. Then came his first season with AC Milan, one which ended with the Scudetto and his first league title since his Montpellier days. Oli had a brilliant year: he scored 14 times in 38 games in all competitions, becoming a decisive figure on the way to glory. His braces against Inter and Sassuolo, his goals against Napoli and Lazio: AC Milan's 19th Scudetto bears his indelible mark. He also enjoyed a fantastic campaign in 2022/23, finishing as the Rossoneri's top scorer in all competitions with 13 goals in Serie A and five in the Champions League. He made 47 appearances and produced numerous brilliant performances.

Giroud has also enjoyed a wonderful international career. His senior French debut arrived on 11 November 2011 in a friendly against the United States, and, as of June 2023, he has 54 goals in 123 appearances to his name. It means that he is France's highest goalscorer of all time. Most memorably, he was part of the French squad that won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he played in all seven matches and facilitated Griezmann and Mbappé's successful forays forward. Oli was also a key figure at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he was a starter and scored four goals, including the winner in the quarter-finals against England. He is a team player and not just a prolific goalscorer. He has, however, bagged many spectacular goals, including the incredible scorpion kick against Crystal Palace on New Year's Day that won the 2017 Puskás Award.