Si è Girato Giroud [Newsletter]

May 15, 2024

With just two games left of the season, none of huge interest, let’s focus on something else instead. Olivier Giroud announced his departure from the club on Monday afternoon with an emotional interview, stating that ‘Milan will remain in my heart forever’. While there have been ups and downs, Rossoneri fans have the Frenchman to thank for a lot.

At the age of 34, more specifically in the summer of 2021, Giroud signed his contract with AC Milan after a €2m deal was reached with Chelsea. Transfermarkt has it down as €4.8m, most likely due to bonuses that have been triggered over the years, but the point is that it was an inexpensive deal. Of course, everyone knew the veteran’s qualities then but expectations were far from sky-high, albeit optimistic.

Giroud’s age certainly played a part in that, but perhaps the main factor was Milan’s previous struggles in his position. Breaking the ‘No.9 curse’ immediately became the target for the Frenchman: “I think I can handle the pressure that comes with wearing the number nine shirt. I'm here to leave my mark, I want to win trophies with AC Milan,” he said during his presentation to the media.

130 games, 48 goals (and counting) and a Scudetto later, it’s clear that Giroud met his expectations and surpassed those of the fans. The brace against Inter, which was the turning point in the Scudetto season, quickly comes to mind and so does the resulting chant ‘Si è Girato Giroud’. His farewell remains beautiful, don’t get us wrong, but a lingering feeling suggests it could have been even better.

The 37-year-old hasn’t missed a single game due to injury this season, which is very impressive indeed, but he has certainly been overworked at times. And it has taken its toll, because Giroud is no longer the player that was a constant threat to the opponents, winning duel after duel and combining well with his teammates. Quality declines with age, without a doubt, but the Frenchman isn’t the only one to blame.

Knowing just how good Giroud can be when he gets off on the right foot, one can understand why Stefano Pioli has been so reluctant to bench him. Paradoxically, this is partly why the No.9 has been less successful this season. At this point, we must remind ourselves that the veteran has scored 16 goals and his season-best with Milan (18) is in sight. Still pretty successful, in other words.

The moral of the story? Giroud has aged like a fine wine and remains a player of the highest class. His professionalism is extremely commendable, becoming a leader in this team of many youngsters from day one, and we can only thank Oli for his efforts during these three years (and for the Scudetto). However, the time has come to part ways even if he will be difficult to replace.

News Bulletin

➤ Milan’s Primavera side came from behind against Frosinone to secure a crucial 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon, with Filippo Scotti getting the winner late on. It means that a win or a draw against Torino at the weekend will be enough to book a place in the play-offs.

➤ Milan’s Women Primavera clinched the league title at the weekend after a dramatic 3-1 win against Sassuolo. On Sunday, the first team draw 1-1 in their relegation pool game against Napoli, conceding an equaliser in the 84th minute. Elsewhere, we provided a news update on the Femminile.

➤ It was announced on Monday that Olivier Giroud will be leaving Milan at the end of the season when his contract expires, and he will be joining Los Angeles FC in the MLS. We took a look back at nine of his best moments as well as the legacy he will leave, while Giroud himself gave an emotional interview.

➤ A report from Sky on Tuesday claimed that Milan are thinking about Marcelo Gallardo as a candidate to take over from Stefano Pioli. The 48-year-old should depart Al Ittihad, and sources in Argentina have confirmed a meeting is expected.

➤ Paolo Maldini has been the centre of a storm after an interview he gave to Radio Serie A. The journalist that conducted it claimed that he was under pressure not to air it, while Maldini denounced perceived censorship of his comments through his lawyer.

➤ Rafael Leao gave an interesting interview with Fabrizio Romano in which he spoke about how much Milan mean to him as a club, while Malick Thiaw also reflected on a difficult campaign and the links with some European giants.