Here are some facts you need to know about Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud (Full Name – Olivier Jonathan Giroud) is a French striker born on 30 September 1986 in Chambery, France. He hasn’t revealed about his parents till yet. He has a brother – Romain Giroud.
Childhood
Olivier Giroud had been a football lover ever since he was a kid. The credit goes to his older brother, Romain, who played football for local clubs.
However, Romain gave up on his dreams of being a footballer and started studying to become a nutritionist. His association with the club came into motion following his family’s move to a little village called Forges.
By the time he was a teenager, he was a competitive player waiting to get a chance to play in the bigger games. At the age of 13, professional club Grenoble took him in and Olivier spent five more years in the youth academy of the club.
Determined to leave a solid mark on the team management, Olivier scored 15 goals in 15 matches that he played in and over the next seven years, his performance kept gaining attention.
Finally in March 2006, the senior team management of Grenoble was compelled to call him in for the first team.
Career
Olivier Giroud made his official senior debut in the 2006-07 season. In February 2007, he scored the first professional goal of his career against Le Havre. He scored 2 goals in 18 appearances in his debut season.
He joined Istres for the 2006-07 season and played in the Championnat National, which is considered to be the third level in French football. He managed to score 14 goals for his team in different matches.
In May 2008, Olivier was signed by the Ligue 2 club Tours over a three years deal. In Coupe de France during his first season with Tours, he scored 5 goals in the first 2 matches.
He further kept shining on the field and ended his first season with Tours with 14 goals in 27 appearances. Montpellier eyed Olivier and signed him on in July 2010. He scored a goal in his debut match for his new club on 29th July.
In November 2011, Olivier’s magnificent form had the team standing on the top of the points tally. By the end of the league season, he had scored 21 goals and hence he was awarded with league’s top scorer honour.
During the 2012-13 season, Arsenal signed Giroud and in August, he made his Premier League debut for the league against Sunderland. He scored his first goal against Coventry City in the League Cup in September.
By the end of the season, he had already made his mark with a season score of 17 goals in 47 appearances. During his six season tenure with Arsenal, Giroud made 180 appearances and scored 73 goals in total.
In 2018, he joined hands with Chelsea on an 18 months contract. Following his match winning performances at the club Montpellier, he was called up for the national team.
For France, Giroud has made appearances in 110 matches and has scored 46 goals. He won the 2018 FIFA World Cup and is the second highest top scorer for his country.
Awards & Achievements
- 1X FIFA WORLD CUP
- 1X UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
- 4X FA CUP
- 1X LIGUE 1
- 1X EUROPA LEAGUE
- 3X FA COMMUNITY SHIELD
Personal Life
Olivier Giroud got married to Jennifer, his long time girlfriend. In 2011 and the couple gave birth to a daughter named Jade.
He happens to be a catholic and a highly religious man. He has tattooed a psalm from Bible on his right arm.