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2022 World Cup: when Olivier Giroud and Walid Regragui played together in Grenoble

2022-12-11T15:28:12.579Z


The striker of the France team and Walid Regragui, coach of Morocco, will meet on Wednesday in the semi-final of the World Cup. They


To say that the two men know each other inside out is certainly an exaggeration.

Nevertheless Olivier Giroud and Moroccan coach Walid Regragui have come a long way together during their career.

The tricolor striker and the former right side, who will meet on Wednesday during this unexpected World Cup semi-final between France and Morocco, played in the same jersey in Grenoble for a few weeks in 2008.

Well done the Blues 🇫🇷 and our @_OlivierGiroud_ still scorer 🤩!


Congratulations also to Morocco 🇲🇦 and its coach @WalidRegraguiof, former club!



The 2 men, here during training with the GF38, will face each other on Wednesday in 1/2.



📸 @vigny6 (Dauphiné Libéré) #CDM2022 pic.twitter.com/wr6Ey9OJED

– Grenoble Foot 38 (@GF38_Officiel) December 10, 2022

That summer, Giroud returned to Isère after a conclusive loan to Istres in National where he scored 14 goals in 33 games.

The future top scorer in the history of Les Bleus is doing pre-season preparation with the GF38 alongside a certain Walid Regragui, then a Moroccan international.

The two men will even play a half together in a friendly match at Raon-l'Étape (Vosges) against Strasbourg.

But only a few days later, Olivier Giroud joined Tours FC, which made an offer of 150,000 euros to Grenoble to enlist the center forward.

Regragui hangs up when Giroud hatches

The French striker therefore left Isère for good while Regragui played 19 Ligue 1 matches in the Grenoble jersey during the 2008-2009 season before hanging up his crampons.

Quite the opposite of Giroud, then at the dawn of his flourishing career (22 years old).

The two players will no longer have the opportunity to meet again since Walid Regragui will take on the coaching role three years later.

First as assistant to Rachid Taoussi in the Moroccan selection then in the role of number 1 at FUS Rabat, one of the biggest clubs in the Cherifian Kingdom, between 2014 and 2020.

Read also“Walid Regragui is a bit like the son I never had”: Rudi Garcia salutes the work of the Moroccan coach

A journey that will then lead him to the head of the Atlas Lions for the success that we know.

On Saturday, his team achieved the greatest sporting feat in the history of Morocco by becoming the first African selection to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup.

Facing France on Wednesday, Walid Regragui's men will have to climb yet another mountain, they who have already successively dismissed Spain and then Portugal.

They will rely in particular on this almost impassable defense (only one goal conceded) that Olivier Giroud will still try to manhandle.

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2022-12-11

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