Olivier Giroud has been regarded as one of the most underrated strikers in the world. Wherever he goes, from Montpellier to AC Milan, it is a guarantee that the club could win at least one title.
Along with the collective titles, Giroud is also prolific when it comes to finding the back of the net. Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk, once labelled the Frenchman as one of the players that caused him trouble a lot.
“Olivier Giroud was the striker I’ve struggled against the most,” Van Dijk told Sky Bet. “I always felt like I had him, but somehow, he always managed to score against us. Whether it was for Arsenal, Chelsea or France, he always scored.”
During professional career, Giroud scored 342 goals for clubs and France. Here are the best five of the goals Giroud has made throughout his career.
5. Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea
Back in his Chelsea time, Giroud scored a decisive goal for The Blues, taking them to the quarter final of the Champions League in the 2020/21 season. It was the second leg of the tie and Giroud cracked a bicycle kick that was initially ruled out due to offside.
The Blues went on to win the tie with 3-0 on aggregate, advancing all the way to the final before beating Manchester City in the final.
4. Sweden vs France
In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Giroud stunned the crowds at Friends Arena when he scored a banger from outside of the box. Unfortunately for Giroud, the goal could not help France to win the game since Sweden came back to score two goals. One before the break and one on the edge of the match.
3. Arsenal vs Manchester United
Coming on in the second half replacing Aaron Ramsey, Giroud did his best to turn the table around with Arsenal trailing to the visitors. All he could do was by scoring a stunning goal which found the top-left bin of David De Gea’s net.
The Gunners lost 1-2 at home after United bagged two goals from Kieran Gibbs’ own goal and Wayne Rooney’s goal in the second half.
2. AC Milan vs FC Koln
In the summer of 2022, Giroud introduced himself to AC Milan’s enthusiasts with a slick goal against FC Koln in a friendly game. Junior Messias lashed a ground pass to Ante Rebic who forwarded it using his heel to Giroud. The latter then flicked the ball over Marvin Schwäbe and controlled the ball for the last time before slotting it into an empty net.
1. Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
Giroud’s most well known goal came in the league against fellow London side Crystal Palace. Laurent Koscielny started the counter-attack by finding Giroud in the midfield area. The latter backheeled the ball to pass it to Granit Xhaka.
Long story short, Alexis Sanchez curled in a cross to find Giroud right in front of the goal. Out of nowhere, Giroud did a scorpion kick to take Arsenal lead after 17 minutes. The rest was history as the goal won FIFA Puskas Award that year.
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