Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud spent half of his career being underestimated, then quietly built a résumé most strikers would sign with both feet. Tall, elegant in his own awkward way and superb with his back to goal, he was never a forward of explosive pace or constant solo creation, but his value lived in craft: lay offs, aerial timing, first time combinations, near post movement and a left foot that could turn crosses into sculpture. Arsenal saw his associative quality, Chelsea used him as a tactical weapon, Milan trusted his experience, and France built major tournament structures around his ability to make others play better. He became France’s all time leading scorer without ever looking like the main character, which is almost aggressively Giroud. A refined target striker, limited in speed but rich in intelligence, technique and competitive usefulness.