World Cup 2022: Giroud – labeled as a kart driver, now loved by the nation

As of 3:31 p.m| Reading time: 4 minutes

Dhe football legends came into the dressing room to congratulate their successors. Lilian Thuram was there, as was Claude Makélélé, the two ex-national players who, with current coach Didier Deschamps, had lifted their country to the top of the world at the end of the 1990s. And the homage was fitting. Two veterans as well-wishers for the oldest player of the Équipe Tricolore at the World Cup in Qatar: Olivier Giroud. “There was singing and dancing in the dressing room,” reported the 36-year-old match winner after the game. “It’s wonderful to see and experience those feelings in the locker room.”

The fact that France didn’t have to suddenly end their dream of defending their title was mainly due to the beefy centre-forward. In a quarter-final on equal footing against England, it was the AC Milan pro who ultimately decided the game in favor of Deschamps’ men. After goals from Aurélien Tchouaméni to make it 1-0 (17′) and Harry Kane to equalize (54′), Giroud converted a precise cross from Antoine Griezmann with a powerful header into the top left corner of the goal to score the winning goal (78′). He, who had long been disregarded in France for his meager technical skills, was now being chanted at by the French fans in the crowd of 68,895 at the Al Bayt Stadium just outside Doha.

“We did a really good job. It reminded me of the game against Belgium in 2018. In the end we were the lucky ones. It’s great for our team,” said Giroud. “It was a big deal. We knew what this generation of young English talent could do. We had the right mentality. I am very proud of this team.”

Giroud is now his country’s top scorer

The little fairy tale of a wondrous change in public perception is closely related to the regular striker’s bad luck with injuries: Karim Benzema fell out with a muscle injury during preparation for the World Cup and left the tournament in Qatar. While rumors of a return to the knockout stages persisted due to his rapid and successful convalescence in the medical department of his hometown club Real Madrid, Giroud used his starting XI appearances to promote himself. Not only did he score a respectable four World Cup goals, but as a target player who fixes balls and then puts them down for the line around superstar Kylian Mbappé, he became an enormously important factor in the French game. And by the way, with 53 goals in 117 international matches, he was also the top scorer in his country.

also read

He also had to assert himself against reservations from his own ranks. Because Benzema in particular thought little of his compatriot for a long time: “You don’t compare Formula 1 with karting,” he had harshly judged Giroud in 2020. Which in turn the scolded countered quite charmingly: “I’m a kart, but with a world title.” Unlike Benzema, who was absent after a suspension because of his involvement in an attempt to blackmail teammate Mathieu Valbuena at the 2018 triumph, Giroud was part of the squad, who finally succeeded in Russia. And in the past few days, Giroud says, he’s felt the spirit of the title fights from four years ago again. “It reminds me of the mentality and dedication of 2018. This group deserves to get back this far.”

also read

Giroud and his colleagues are two wins short of becoming the first world champions since Brazil in 1962 to win the world title for a second year in a row. Mbappé speaks of an “absolute dream”, President Emmanuel Macron has announced himself for the duel with Morocco on Wednesday (8 p.m.) in Doha. “There are not many who can claim that they expected Morocco in the semi-finals,” said coach Deschamps with a view to the duel. “They deserve to be where they are. It’s a historic moment for them. We have the quality in the team, but you also need the right attitude.”

also read