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Didier Deschamps is all set to unveil his 26-man squad for the French national team that will take part in the World Cup 2022 in Qatar. One shock, but deserved, inclusion could be former Chelsea and Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud at the grand old age of 36.
Olivier Giroud has long been a key member of the French squad under Deschamps, who has been at the helm for a decade. Even though Giroud may divide opinion and may not be considered one of the superstars of the game, he has quietly been able to contribute a lot to the national team over the years.
Closing on Thierry Henry’s Record
The 36-year-old has been able to get 49 goals in 114 caps for the national team. Remarkably, this is just two goals shy of the all-time goal record held by Thierry Henry, who is widely perceived as one of the greatest forwards in the world.
Henry has been able to get 51 goals for the national team in 123 matches. He managed to lift the European Championship and the World Cup in the process. Giroud was part of the World Cup winning squad in 2018 while his team finished as the runner-up in the Euro 2016.
The Frenchman has had an immensely successful club career as well even if it may have gone largely unnoticed. He has won league titles in France and Italy with Montpellier and AC Milan. He has also lifted a whole host of domestic cup titles like the FA Cup on four occasions. Perhaps, his biggest successes in club football came with Chelsea when he won the Champions League and Europa League with the blues.
The consistency and professionalism shown by Giroud is set to be rewarded once again, as he may get to feature in the third World Cup finals of his career, according to the RMC Sport.
Currently with AC Milan, Giroud has once again proven to be very effective in front of goal. He has been able to get nine goals for Milan so far this season and this includes four goals just in the Champions League group. The goals from Giroud have been instrumental in keeping Milan fighting at the top of the table.
France’s Chances at World Cup
The presence of experienced campaigners like Giroud would be crucial for France if they are to become the first country since 1962 to defend the title. Back then, Brazil were able to defend the crown and it has never been matched since then.
Giroud could prove to be a perfect foil for the likes of Kylian Mbappe, who will gather all the attention at the World Cup. Further, the former Chelsea and Arsenal forward also provides the physical presence required in several situations. France go into the World Cup 2022 quite confident about success and they begin the tournament with a game against Australia on November 23. The Les Blues are in Group D, which also includes Denmark, Australia, and Tunisia. France are the strong favourites to get out of the group as the winner.
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