Veteran striker Olivier Giroud feels his aging body can withstand the rigors of the French league and that he has plenty to offer his new club Lille.
The 38-year-old Frenchman was presented to the media on Wednesday after ending a disappointing spell in Major League Soccer with Los Angeles FC.
“I feel in good shape physically, don’t worry,” Giroud said. “I'm ready to take up the challenge. I feel good for my age and I want to play until my body says stop.”
His contract with LAFC was set to expire at the end of this year, but the club and Giroud mutually agreed to part ways so he could leave on a free transfer and join Lille, which finished fifth in Ligue 1 last season.
Giroud is France’s all-time leading men's scorer with 57 goals and won the 2018 World Cup with Les Bleus. Although he was popular with fans at LAFC, he managed just five goals in 38 matches for the team.
“The style of play in the MLS didn’t necessarily suit me,” he said. “Coming back to France 13 years later is an opportunity and an incredible challenge for me.”
Giroud left the French league in 2012 after helping unheralded Montpellier beat Paris Saint-Germain to win the Ligue 1 title, scoring 21 goals in the competition that season, before joining English Premier League team Arsenal, where he won three FA Cup trophies.
He then played for Chelsea and AC Milan, making a good impression with his knack for scoring crucial goals, his hold-up play and his unselfishness — all hallmarks of his game.
With Chelsea, Giroud won the Europa League in 2019 and the Champions League in 2021 as well as the FA Cup, and he was also one of the key players when AC Milan won the Serie A title in 2022.
Lille impressed at times in the Champions League last season, beating Real Madrid, but will play in the second-tier Europa League this season.
“I need challenges, to challenge myself, that’s what has driven my career forward," Giroud said. "This challenge speaks to me."
Lille opens its Ligue 1 campaign at Brest in mid-August.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press
