Olivier Giroud set to retire from international football after EURO 2024

The French striker has recently penned a deal with MLS side LAFC

After the European Championship next month, France’s national football team striker Olivier Giroud will step down from the international football stage. He stated that he wants to avoid playing “one season too many.”

Having made 131 appearances for France, Giroud left AC Milan earlier this month to join Major League Soccer team LAFC. He was a vital member of the French team that won the FIFA World Cup in 2018.

The 37-year-old has surpassed Thierry Henry to become the all-time top goalscorer for the men’s national team with 57 goals, having passed him at the 2022 World Cup edition.

“To be honest, this will be my last competition with Les Bleus. Obviously, I’m going to miss it a lot,” Giroud told L’Equipe in an interview published on Thursday.

“But I think the French team will be over after the Euros. We need to make way for the youngsters. You also have to be careful not to have one season too many. You have to find the right balance…

“I’ve always said that I was going to stop when my body asked me to. I think I’ve got two good years left. But as far as the French team is concerned, I think that’ll be the end of it.”

France last won the trophy in 2000 before being eliminated by Switzerland in the Round of 16 of Euro 2020. On June 17, they will play their first group-stage match of Euro 2024 against Austria. After that, they will play Poland and the Netherlands.

When asked about his goals for the European Championship, Giroud responded as follows:

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“No, I really don’t.

“It’s really the desire to go as far as possible in the competition with this generation that drives me.

“If I win, apart from the Premier League, which is very difficult to win, I could say I’ve won everything… After that, I’ve heard a lot about the 60-goal mark for the national team. We’re watching, but it’s not an obsession.”

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