Olivier Giroud becomes France all-time male top scorer

Olivier Giroud became France’s all-time male top goalscorer with his strike against Poland at the World Cup.

The veteran Frenchman claimed his all-important 52nd goal for Les Bleus on the cusp of half-time with an incredibly smart finish, reversing the ball beyond Wojciech Szczesny for 1-0 in the last 16 tie.

Crucially, the goal lifted him above none other than Thierry Henry in the rankings to claim the incredible feat.

Giroud debuted with the French national team in 2011, but would have to wait until February 2012 to notch his first goal for Les Bleus, striking against Germany in a friendly.

116 caps later, he now leads the way for goals scored and continues to look every part a world class striker, despite now being 36 years of age.

He managed to equal Henry’s record when clinching a brace in matchday one of the Qatar World Cup in a 4-1 thrashing of Australia, but has since had to wait for the goal to take the lead.

But, with France likely to go deep into the tournament and Karim Benzema out of the tournament, Giroud has a brilliant chance to extend his lead as France’s all-time scorer before the World Cup comes to an end.

It follows on from an exceptional spell at AC Milan. After signing for the club in the summer of 2021, Giroud scored 14 goals in all competitions and proved key as they lifted a first Scudetto in a decade, and has carried his prolific form into the 2022/23 campaign in the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.