Olivier Giroud has admitted that leaving Arsenal was one of the most difficult decisions of his career and that he is relishing the opportunity to return to the Emirates tonight with Lille in the Champions League.
The Frenchman netted 105 times across nearly six years for Arsene Wenger’s Gunners, then leaving to join Chelsea in 2018 where he won the Champions League in 2021 before departing Stamford Bridge for AC Milan. This was followed by a brief stint in Major League Soccer for Los Angeles FC.
However, Giroud returned to France last year and is set to face his former employers when Lille face Arsenal in north London tonight - and the 40-year-old striker is grateful to be back to see his old stomping ground and his old teammate-turned manager, Mikel Arteta.
“Arsenal was a major part of my career and I had to leave in order to play at the 2018 World Cup,” said Giroud.
“I was really sad when I left the club but I had to make that choice, and it was one of the toughest ones in my career, but it was important and necessary for the rest of my career.
“So, it is great to come back at 40 years old with a French club and to play against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. That is a blessing. It is something I wanted to happen, and I feel very lucky”
Arteta last season led the Gunners to their first league title in 22 years and has just signed a new contract keeping him in North London until 2030.
Giroud won a hat-trick of FA Cups under Wenger, but a Premier League title illuded he and his teammates. He played alongside Arteta and said his leadership skills made a career as a manager an inevitability.
Giroud continued: “Mikel is a great person, a great manager and he has shown that with the team he has built.
“The Premier League title proves he has done incredible work, and he was given the time which was very important. I remember Mikel as a player, and you could see he was made for a managerial career because he was a leader on the pitch, but off it, too. He was very demanding with himself, and his team-mates and great technically.
“I really enjoyed my time with him. We won a few trophies together and it is a blessing to come back here and play against his team.”
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