Olivier Jonathan Giroud is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club AC Milan and the France national team.
63 Facts About Olivier Giroud
2.
Olivier Giroud was named Ligue 2 Player of the Year in 2010 after finishing as the league's top goalscorer.
3.
Olivier Giroud then joined Arsenal, where he won three FA Cups to help end Arsenal's nine-year trophy drought, and is the club's eighteenth-highest all-time goalscorer.
4.
Olivier Giroud made his senior international debut for France in 2011 at age 25, and has since earned over 120 caps, including appearing in six major tournaments.
5.
Olivier Giroud is his country's all-time top goalscorer, receiving the Bronze Boot as joint second-highest goalscorer as France finished runner-up at UEFA Euro 2016.
6.
Olivier Giroud later won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and appeared at UEFA Euro 2020 as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where France finished as runners-up and Giroud again received the Bronze Boot.
7.
Olivier Giroud was born in Chambery, France in the Rhone-Alpes region, and was raised in the nearby village of Froges, close to Grenoble.
8.
Olivier Giroud is of Italian descent through both of his grandmothers.
9.
Independently of his professional career, Olivier Giroud, after obtaining his baccalaureate in economics and social sciences, completed a second year of a degree in science and techniques of physical and sports activities at the Joseph Fourier University, in Grenoble.
10.
Olivier Giroud began organised football playing for his hometown club, Olympique Club de Froges.
11.
Olivier Giroud spent six years training at the club before joining professional club Grenoble at the age of 13.
12.
Olivier Giroud spent five years developing in Grenoble's youth academy before signing his first professional contract at the age of 21.
13.
Olivier Giroud quickly became an important player in the team scoring 15 goals in 15 matches.
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Olivier Giroud remained a part of the senior team for the rest of the campaign making five more substitute appearances.
15.
On 26 February 2007, Olivier Giroud scored his first professional goal netting the injury time winner against Le Havre.
16.
Olivier Giroud finished the campaign with 18 total appearances and two goals as Grenoble finished in fifth place.
17.
Two weeks later, Olivier Giroud scored goals in back-to-back matches against Vannes and Creteil.
18.
However, club manager Mehmed Bazdarevic, who was hired while Olivier Giroud was on his loan stint at Istres, deemed the player surplus to requirements and, subsequently, listed him for transfer.
19.
On 28 May 2008, it was reported that Olivier Giroud had agreed to a three-year deal with Ligue 2 club Tours.
20.
Two weeks later, Olivier Giroud scored his third goal for the club in a victory over Ajaccio.
21.
Olivier Giroud finished the season with 27 total appearances and 14 goals.
22.
Olivier Giroud finished the fall campaign with 16 goals, 13 of which came in league play.
23.
Olivier Giroud finished the season with 42 appearances and 24 goals.
24.
Olivier Giroud scored 21 in the league and was named the league's top goalscorer.
25.
In November 2010, Olivier Giroud scored game-winning goals in consecutive weeks against Toulouse and Nice.
26.
Towards the end of the league season, Olivier Giroud scored goals against title contenders Marseille and Lyon.
27.
In January 2012, Olivier Giroud was linked with a transfer to several clubs.
28.
At the start of the second half of the campaign, Olivier Giroud scored in back-to-back league matches against Lyon and Nice.
29.
Olivier Giroud finished the season with a league-leading 21 goals and 9 assists.
30.
Olivier Giroud's form earned him a place in the Premier League team of the week.
31.
Olivier Giroud scored a header from a Wilshere free kick, and provided an assist for Theo Walcott.
32.
Olivier Giroud then sent Arsenal ahead himself two minutes later and set up for Lukas Podolski.
33.
Olivier Giroud received his first red card for Arsenal against Fulham, which meant he would miss three of Arsenal's last four games of the season.
34.
Olivier Giroud finished the season with 17 goals and 11 assists in 47 appearances.
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Olivier Giroud kept up his fine form by netting one goals each against Queens Park Rangers, West Ham United and two against Newcastle United in the Premier League while scoring against Monaco in the Champions League.
36.
Olivier Giroud assisted the team's second goal, scored by Alexis Sanchez.
37.
On 31 January 2018, Olivier Giroud signed an 18-month contract with Chelsea for an undisclosed fee.
38.
Olivier Giroud made his debut five days later in a Premier League away game at Watford, where he came on in the 64th minute replacing Pedro.
39.
Olivier Giroud then made it four goals in three games, bagging a brace at home to PAOK in matchday five of the Europa League.
40.
On his 500th career appearance, Olivier Giroud scored a free kick to equalise and preserve Chelsea's unbeaten Europa League group stage campaign.
41.
On 14 August 2019, Olivier Giroud scored his first goal of the season against Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup.
42.
On 20 May 2020, Olivier Giroud signed a new one-year contract with Chelsea.
43.
Olivier Giroud became the oldest player to achieve the feat in the European Cup since Real Madrid's Ferenc Puskas in September 1965.
44.
Olivier Giroud became the oldest player to ever score in six successive Premier League starts at the age of 34 years and 63 days.
45.
Olivier Giroud became the first Chelsea player to score in six consecutive Premier League starts for the club since Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in October 2001.
46.
Olivier Giroud described the call up as "a childhood dream come true", while stating it is "immensely satisfying and a privilege" to represent the national team.
47.
Olivier Giroud made his international debut in the match against the United States appearing as a substitute.
48.
On 13 May 2014, Olivier Giroud was named in Didier Deschamps' squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
49.
Olivier Giroud earned his 50th France cap by being in the starting line-up of that match and played every minute of it; he scored the opening goal by heading Dimitri Payet's cross into the goal in the 57th minute.
50.
On 28 May 2018, Olivier Giroud scored his 31st international goal for France during a home game against Ireland, equalling Zinedine Zidane's record, and becoming the fourth highest goal scorer of all time for the country.
51.
Olivier Giroud played in all seven matches, and though he failed to register a shot on net on 13 shots, his physical presence and link-up play was credited with Griezmann and Mbappe each scoring four goals.
52.
In March 2019, Olivier Giroud scored goals in two UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Moldova and Iceland, taking his tally to 35 for France.
53.
Olivier Giroud was called up to the French squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar; he started as the team's lone striker in their opening match against Australia on 22 November, scoring two goals and equalling Thierry Henry's 51-goal record for France.
54.
Olivier Giroud is capable of playing in several offensive positions, but usually plays as a striker or as a centre-forward; he has occasionally been used as a second striker, or even as a false 9.
55.
Olivier Giroud is associated with making runs to the front post that outwit defenders.
56.
Olivier Giroud has been described by pundits as one of the most underrated strikers in the world.
57.
Olivier Giroud has an older brother, Romain, who was a footballer, having played at the Auxerre academy and having represented France at under-15 and under-17 level, however he dropped a potential professional career to study and become a nutritionist.
58.
Olivier Giroud has been married to Jennifer since 2011 and have four children together.
59.
Olivier Giroud is a Evangelical Protestant and has a tattoo on his right arm from Psalm 23 in Latin: "Dominus regit me et nihil mihi deerit".
60.
In February 2014, Olivier Giroud reportedly cheated on his wife with model Celia Kay.
61.
In February 2015 Olivier Giroud was voted the 'Hottest Premier League Player'.
62.
On 13 November 2018, Sony Pictures France confirmed on Twitter that Olivier Giroud had landed a role in the French-dubbed version of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as the voice of the Green Goblin.
63.
Olivier Giroud was joined by Presnel Kimpembe, who took on the role of Scorpion.