In Lille, where Olivier Giroud is preparing for another European night against a club that shaped much of his English career, France’s record goalscorer has indicated that this season is likely to be his farewell as a player. The striker turns 40 on Wednesday, 30 September, and is savouring the closing stretch of a career that has carried him from Grenoble to major trophies across the continent.
Key takeaways
- Giroud has suggested he expects to retire when the current campaign ends, most likely in June.
- Lille will meet Arsenal on 13 October in the second matchday of the Champions League league phase.
- The former France forward left international football in July 2024 with 137 caps and 57 goals.
- After five Ligue 1 matches, Lille are fourth on 10 points, level with Rennes.
A final season in northern France
Giroud said he would gladly speak again next year, but added that he believed this was “very probably” his last campaign as an active footballer. The 2018 World Cup winner explained that the prospect was making him appreciate each moment of the season.
His next reunion with Arsenal offers a fitting marker in that final chapter. Giroud spent five and a half years in north London after arriving from France, then added two and a half seasons at Chelsea. The meeting with Arsenal on 13 October will come as Lille continue their Champions League league-phase programme.
Lille have made a steady domestic opening, taking 10 points from five Ligue 1 fixtures. That return leaves the northern club in fourth place, alongside Rennes on the same total, as Giroud balances the demands of the French calendar with one more continental campaign.
From Grenoble to a trophy-filled journey
Giroud began his professional career with Grenoble in Ligue 2 in 2006. His rise later took him to Montpellier, where he won the Ligue 1 title in 2012, before his move to English football.
Across his spells in England, Italy, the United States and France, he has built a collection that includes four FA Cups, won in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018, as well as the Europa League in 2019 and the Champions League in 2021. At AC Milan, he helped secure the 2022 Serie A title.
After leaving Milan, he spent time with Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer and won the US Cup in 2024. That same year also brought the end of his France career, concluding an international record that placed him at the head of the country’s scoring list with 57 goals.
