Zlatan Ibrahimović started great in AC Milan’s 2021/22 championship winning season, but then injuries appeared and kept him away from the field. Rossoneri realised that there is nothing to worry about because – Olivier Giroud took over. The French goalscorer continued with great form this season and at the age of 37 is showing that he is one of the most grateful strikers that his teammates can share the pitch with.However, he is not guaranteed a place at the World Cup in Qatar. But given form he shows and how much he contributes to the victories of the Rossoneri, it would be a sin if Didier Deschamps did not take him to Qatar. The fact is, Les Bleus have Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema in their team, Kylian Mbappe, who will certainly be targeted for the left winger position, and they also have Christopher Nkunku, but apart from those three, it doesn’t seem like France has a striker who could give them more than Giroud. At the moment, it is neither Antoine Griezmann nor Wissam Ben Yedder. With all due respect to the very good games in the Eintracht shirt – Randal Kolo Muani will probably not get ‘the call’.##NAJAVA_MECA_6787236##Four years ago, Giroud lifted the world champion trophy with France. He is already famous for finishing the World Cup in Russia without a shot on goal, even though he only started the first match from the bench, and spent at least 80 minutes on the field in all the others. But the statistics can be blinding – listen to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Virgil Van Dijk speaking about Giroud, they might know a little more about the game after all.”Giroud plays for all his teammates on the pitch. He has to go to the World Cup because he’s a winner. He’s a serious person. He’s not someone who’s going to give you 40 goals a season, but he brings something to the team that few can. He doesn’t act like everything revolves around him on the field,” says Ibra, who occasionally shared the field with him and who, while he is unable to play due to recovery after knee surgery, does not miss a single Milan game.💬 Virgil van Dijk on the hardest opponent he has ever faced:”Olivier Giroud. I feel like, I’ve got him, but in some way, he always manages to score, whether it’s with Arsenal, Chelsea, France. He’s a bogeyman.” pic.twitter.com/6krERcGYTO— LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) November 3, 2022 And in the last appearance for the Rossoneri, Giroud singlehandedly beat Salzburg without allowing the fans at the San Siro to worry about the knockout phase of the Champions League. A goal, then an assist, another goal, and one more assist. Even though the instinct of a killer striker is perhaps only the third, fourth characteristic on his scale of virtues. The Frenchman is a nightmare for defenders – after ‘reading’ and understanding the game, build up, dropping in to pick up the ball higher and leaving it where and when needed.”Somehow Giroud has always managed to score goals against me. He’s a bogeyman for me. Whenever I think I have him, that I’ve closed him down, he scores. Whether it’s with France, Arsenal or Chelsea,” explained Virgil Van Dijk, one of the most physically dominant stoppers today.Ibra criticizes Mbappe but praises Haaland: No one is bigger than the clubPaolo Maldini felt something when he took Giroud from Chelsea about fifteen months ago, a year before the contract expired, for a paltry 1,000,000 + 1,000,000 euros. There must be room for Giroud in the 26-strong French squad to defend the world crown in Qatar – he already has eight goals and four assists in 17 games this season. And it’s not only the statistics – Giroud will always put his ego below team needs, as he always does.
