Olivier Giroud etched his name into the France history books as he became Les Bleus’ all-time top scorer after netting against Poland at the World Cup.
The AC Milan striker equalled Thierry Henry’s 51-goal record with a brace in a 4-1 win over Australia in his nation’s World Cup opener, leaving him one shy of the outright benchmark.
That made Giroud, aged 36 years and 53 days, the second-oldest player to score a double at the World Cup, after Roger Milla, who did so in 1990 for Cameroon aged 38.
Giroud claimed the record outright with the opening goal in the round-of-16 clash against Poland, latching onto Kylian Mbappe’s pass to fire Les Bleus ahead.
The former Chelsea and Arsenal striker would likely have not started for Didier Deschamps’ side if it had not been for pre-tournament injuries to Karim Benzema and Christopher Nkunku.
Instead, Giroud and Kylian Mbappe have been tasked with carrying the attacking burden as France aim to defend their World Cup crown.
