The Lille striker became on Saturday April 18 the oldest player to reach the mark of 100 matches played in the elite of the French championship.
Olivier Giroud is not being remade: at 39, he is still a man of records. The former Montpellier Hérault SC striker with exceptional longevity beat another one on Saturday. During the Lille-Nice match (0-0), the Losc striker did not score but he became the oldest player to reach the mark of 100 matches in Ligue 1.
Almost 40 years old – he will celebrate it on September 30 – Giroud entered the game in the 56th minute. He therefore took the opportunity to reach this new symbolic bar. With a wink for La Paillade. Arriving in Hérault from Tours and the L2 where he was the top scorer, the Isérois began his adventure in the elite at the age of 23 with a first match in Montpellier colors, during a success over Bordeaux (1-0) at the La Mosson stadium, on August 8, 2010. In total, Giroud scored 40 goals and delivered 18 assists during his hundred matches in L1.
More than double in England
The French championship is not the one where he has evolved the most. Having left Montpellier with the French championship title in 2012, the striker then spent most of his career in England, with Arsenal (2012-2018) then Chelsea (2018-2021), for a whopping 255 games played in the Premier League (90 goals, 28 assists).
Giroud could also have surpassed the hundred mark in Italy but he stopped at 97 Serie A games played in the AC Milan jersey (39 goals, 17 assists). For one season (2024-2025), he then discovered the North American championship, MLS, with Los Angeles FC, for a total of 21 matches (3 goals, 2 assists). Before his return to Ligue 1 last summer, where he scored 7 goals (1 assist) during the current campaign.
Still the record holder for the Blues
This new record is added to another, prestigious one, since Giroud is the top scorer in the history of the France team. In 137 caps, the ex-Pailladin scored 57 goals and surpassed the legends Thierry Henry (3rd, 51 goals) or Michel Platini (5th, 41 goals).
This total is more than ever under threat from Kylian Mbappé (96 caps, 56 goals), one goal away from equaling his former teammate with the Blues. Who, however, has not finished pushing the limits.
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