Olivier Giroud is France's all-time top goal scorer and a striker who has won major honours at some of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Olivier Giroud is a French professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Serie A club AC Milan and the France national team.

It was at Montpellier that Giroud truly began to make a name for himself. He was signed by Arsenal in 2012 as a replacement for Robin van Persie, who left for Manchester United.

Giroud lifted the FA Cup three times with Arsenal and proved to be a consistent goalscorer for the club before moving on to London rivals Chelsea in 2018, where he won the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup again.

He was part of the French national team during their victorious 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign in Russia.

Early days at Montpellier

Giroud joined Montpellier on July 1, 2010. He scored his first goal for the club in the first half of his European debut in the third qualifying round against Hungarian club Gyori ETO.

Montpellier showed promising signs in the 2010/11 season, reaching the final of the Coupe de la Ligue. Giroud's goal against Paris Saint-Germain in extra time clinched their semi-final tie.

A goal from Taye Taiwo then saw Marseille beat Montpellier 1-0 in the final.

Giroud had an incredible 2011/12 season with 21 goals and nine assists seeing him crowned Ligue 1's top scorer ahead of Nene, who had the same number of goals, but fewer from open play than Giroud.

Giroud fired Montpellier to the Ligue 1 title ahead of PSG, who were at the beginning of an era of heavy spending which would ultimately see them dominate French soccer for years.

Off the back of his incredible performances for Montpellier, Giroud secured a move to Arsenal for a fee reported to be around £9.6million.

Firepower for the Gunners

"Why did I choose Arsenal rather than Chelsea?" Giroud told French newspaper L'Equipe, explaining his decision. "Because it is a club I love and I thought it would be easier for my adaptation.

"There are French players. There is also Arsene Wenger who let me understand he really wanted me. Chelsea is very nice, it is a great club, but I am not convinced Di Matteo knows who I am."

Giroud scored a respectable 17 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions in his first season in north London. However, he was overshadowed by van Persie who fired Manchester United to the Premier League title.

Despite his solid contribution to the team, Giroud polarised opinion among Arsenal supporters, which proved to be a recurring theme during his time in north London.

As the Premier League's big guns struggled, Arsenal had arguably their most disappointing title race in the 2015/16 season, finishing second to Leicester City who won the league against the odds. Giroud had his most prolific season for Arsenal with 24 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions.

In 2016/17, Giroud scored 16 goals in 40 appearances as Arsenal missed out on the top four, finishing fifth.

The arrival of Alexandre Lacazette and the subsequent acquisition of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang meant Giroud's game-time at Arsenal was subsequently limited. He left Arsenal with 105 goals to his name in 253 appearances, signing for London rivals Chelsea on deadline day of the 2018 January transfer window.

Becoming a Blue

Giroud was initially competing for a starting spot with Alvaro Morata at Antonio Conte's Chelsea. Neither striker was in hot goalscoring form and the team finished fifth in the 2017/18 Premier League having won the title the previous season.

In 2018/19, Maurizio Sarri took charge of the team and guided Chelsea to third place in the Premier League. Giroud scored 13 goals in all competitions, including a remarkable 11 in the Blues' triumphant UEFA Europa League campaign.

In Baku, Chelsea beat Giroud's former club Arsenal 4-1 in the final. Giroud scored the opening goal in the 49th minute.

Giroud once again hit double figures in the 2019/20 campaign and then again in 2020/21. Despite constant speculation that he was set to leave the Blues, he kept contributing to the Chelsea cause, even if limited to substitute appearances.

Giroud was part of the Chelsea team that won the 2021 Champions League after defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the final.

Record-breaker in the France national team

Giroud's international career did not take off in his younger days, although he did spend time within the U-16 camp. He earned his first senior call-up under Laurent Blanc in 2011 and has remained a reliable goalscorer in the years since.

Giroud scored once at the 2014 World Cup and three at Euro 2016.

Although he did not score a goal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Giroud was praised for his work rate and contribution to the team.

Giroud has surpassed a century of caps for the France national team and became their all-time top goalscorer after netting against Poland in the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup.

Personal life

Giroud has been married to wife Jennifer since 2011. His daughter Jade was born in June 2013.

Net worth

Renowned for his looks and sleek hair, Giroud is extremely marketable and has a longstanding relationship with sportswear brand Puma. Giroud earns £5,720,000 per year from Chelsea, as per Spotrac.