Though Kylian Mbappe stole the headlines with a fantastic performance as he helped France hammer Poland 3-1 in the last 16, it was Olivier Giroud that made history as he became his nation’s all-time record goalscorer, despite only making his debut at 25.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea man went close midway through the first half, but finally found the back of the net with a minute to go in the opening 45 minutes when he fired home from 14 yards out, making history in the process.
The strike took him to 52 goals for his country, one more than former French icon Thierry Henry, who had previously sat alone at the summit.
The moment Olivier Giroud became France’s all-time leading goalscorer 💯
He has now scored 52 goals for Les Bleus overtaking Thierry Henry 👏#BBCFootball #BBCWorldCup pic.twitter.com/1uAToX1Sk2
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 4, 2022
The 36-year-old has no plans of stopping any time soon either, having spent the last 18 months with current Serie A champions AC Milan. And, while his contract at San Siro expires at the end of the season as it stands, reports suggest that he will be staying for years to come.
Indeed, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reveals that the Italian side want to ‘get the documents signed done as soon as possible’, while Giroud for his part would be ‘more than happy’ to remain at San Siro, where he has so far racked up 57 appearances and 23 goals.
It means that, in theory, Giroud will have ample more time to continue to extend his record for Les Blues, though it was only through an injury to fellow star striker Karim Benzema that the veteran found himself in the starting lineup this tournament and it is unclear where Deschamps sees the future of his strikeforce.
