Recent winner of the Champions League, Olivier Giroud only joined the France team on Tuesday.
Like his partners in Chelsea, Ngolo Kanté and Kurt Zouma, he witnessed, in the stands, the flawless success against Wales (3-0).
This Friday he agreed to explain how he had experienced the return of Karim Benzema to the selection after more than five years of absence.
The second best director in the history of the Blues held a unifying speech.
“I experienced Karim's recall as something positive,” Olivier Giroud tells us. For the selection, it is important to have several offensive weapons. Karim is, clearly, an additional one. We know his qualities and he will inevitably bring something more to the team, which will be eagerly awaited for this Euro because we are vice-European champion and World champion. On a personal level, as I have said over and over again, this pseudo-rivalry between us has never existed. Our reunion went well, as with all the others. It is also important to welcome it well, because it is a return and it is not necessarily obvious. We all made it easier to integrate. The main thing is the France team and the title. "
Asked about Giroud on May 30 at a press conference, Karim Benzema had already worked, too, to calm relations and dispel any misunderstanding. “I had already met him (Editor's note: Olivier) in the first leg against Chelsea in the semi-final of the Champions League. There had been nothing special. We talked, quiet. He congratulated me on my goal. It was good spirit, it was cool. I have already played with him, now it will be the same as before. What was said is over. Now the most important thing is to help the France team to go higher.
"
Proof of this unanimous desire to solidify ties within the 26, the staff of the France team decided to install the two attackers at the same table during meals at Clairefontaine. They share it with Varane, Griezmann, Dubois, Pavard, Hernandez and Lloris.
If the reunion between the two men is also expected and scrutinized, it is also because of a live on Benzema's Instagram account, where the latter, on March 30, 2020, described the Chelsea striker as "karting ".
In this same exchange, he also praised Giroud's contribution to the France team.
This "punchin" had reacted and pushed, a few months later, the striker of the Blues to express himself on this subject in Téléfoot.
“I have always been criticized a little for the absence of Karim Benzema, this supposed rivalry, created from scratch by some people, he recalled without any bitterness.
The history of karting and F1?
It made me laugh knowing him.
I have no hard feelings about it.
"
AC Milan on pole to recruit him
Besides the Euro, the other summer news for Giroud touches on his future in club. At the end of the adventure with Chelsea, he could respond favorably to AC Milan's proposals. Not lacking in proposals, he would, in particular, not be insensitive to the idea of playing in the Champions League with the Lombard club where he would rub shoulders with a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Discussions seem to be well under way even if, according to our information, an agreement has not yet been reached between the two parties. “Nothing is certain yet”, confides a close relative of the Milanese board. If this operation is successful, it would be an opportunity for the former Montpellier to relaunch after a discreet season, where he had to be content with a role of understudy under the orders of Frank Lampard, then Thomas Tuchel. Even if he still scored 11 goals in 31 appearances.Even before knowing the outcome of the negotiations, Ibra has already validated this lead.
“The
more we can recruit top players, the better.
Giroud has a lot of experience and we don't have a lot of players who have won trophies.
If he comes, he is welcome.
But in Milan there is only one God, me
”
Twice, Giroud has already been very close to joining Serie A. In January 2020, Inter Milan held the rope to attract the 34-year-old French international before Frank Lampard vetoed it.
When the winter market closed a year ago, Lazio Rome tried their luck, also wiping out a refusal from the former Blues coach.