European Championship
Olivier Giroud says this summer’s European Championship in Germany will be his last major tournament for France.
Giroud, 37, is his country’s all-time leading goalscorer in international football after he surpassed Thierry Henry’s previous record during France’s journey to the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.
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“This will be my last competition with Les Bleus. Obviously, I’m going to miss it a lot,” Giroud said in an interview with L’Equipe.
“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.”
He has 131 appearances for France, scoring 57 goals.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea striker recently confirmed his move to Major League Soccer following the expiration of his AC Milan contract this summer.
Giroud will officially join LAFC when MLS’s summer transfer window opens on July 18, four days after the final of Euro 2024.
Giroud was one of eight forwards named in head coach Didier Deschamps’ provisional squad alongside Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Kingsley Coman, Marcus Thuram and Randak Kolo Muani.
France — drawn in Group B — begin their tournament against Ralf Rangnick’s Austria on June 17.
They play the Netherlands four days later before finishing their group-stage campaign against Poland on June 25.
GO DEEPER
How Olivier Giroud fits at LAFC and when he could make his debut
(Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
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Callum Davis is a deputy news editor for The Athletic, based in London. Prior to joining, he was senior editor at TNT Sports, having previously worked at The Telegraph. Follow Callum on Twitter @Callum_davis89
