Sports Nicknames - Le Buteur de Charme (Charm Striker)

Olivier Giroud might not be the first to come to mind when looking at the most successful French strikers, but he has had a sparkling career so far. The Chelsea striker is the second highest goalscorer for the French national team and was part of the World Cup winning squad of 2018.



Giroud spent his first 5 years as a professional playing for Grenoble, Istres and Tours in Ligue 2 and the Championnat National. However, after a Player of the Year performance in 2010, he signed for Ligue 1 side Montpellier. Again, he showed off his skills for 2 years and was given the nickname le buteur de charme (the charm striker) by French media. In 2012, his goal scoring led to a transfer to England with Arsenal.

Giroud helped the Gunners end their trophy drought in 2014, winning the FA Cup. He did the same next season, as the club repeated the feat. He would go on to win one more FA Cup in 2017 before signing for London rivals Chelsea. It was with Chelsea that Giroud would win his first European trophy, beating Arsenal in the 2019 Europa League Final. He scored the final, as well as setting up a goal for Eden Hazard.

In the current season with Chelsea, Giroud has shown that he still isn't done. In the 2020-21 season, he scored all 4 goals in a group-stage match against Sevilla. He became the oldest player to score a Champions League hat-trick. He then scored the only goal in Chelsea's away match to Atletico Madrid.

Olivier Giroud has gone from a Ligue 2 striker to one of the most consistent in England and France. Even at his older age, he is still starting games for Chelsea and getting called up for France. Le buteur de charme has clearly still got some of that goalscoring charm.

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