Olivier Giroud might have only spent three years at Chelsea, but it is quite clear that the London club still holds a place in his heart as a clip of the Frenchman does the rounds on social media.
Back in January 2018, Giroud made the shock move to swap Arsenal for Chelsea after becoming a bit of an icon at The Emirates. A lack of game time at Arsenal saw Giroud become available; Chelsea swooped.
Europa League Olivier Giroud or Club World Cup Joao Pedro?
Who are you going with, Chelsea fans? 🔥
He was already in his thirties when he moved across London, and yet he would go on to have a hand in 53 goals in 119 Chelsea games. He would win The FA Cup, the Europa League and the Champions League.
Leaving in 2021, France’s all-time record goalscorer has since starred for AC Milan, struggled in the MLS with LAFC before returning to his home nation with Lille, where he has just signed a new one-year deal.
Olivier Giroud asked to rejoin Chelsea while on punditry duty
Now 39, Giroud is working as a pundit for BBC Sport at the World Cup and after making an appearance this weekend, a clip has emerged on social media ahead of the striker’s first showing on our screens.
The clip sees Giroud introduced to the floor manager, named Chris. The latter tells Giroud he is a Blues fan, which sees Lille star Giroud cheekily say “once a blue, always a blue” while looking at the camera.
The floor manager then continues by saying “couldn’t come back could you?”, before Giroud laughs; indicating he knows Chelsea’s struggles, but refrains from saying anything while a camera is watching.
Chelsea’s best player last season was Joao Pedro, but having Giroud to come off the bench might have been an improvement on Liam Delap. A player Giroud thinks is “very talented”, despite his struggles.
Giroud is proving age is just a number at Lille
It came as a bit of a surprise when Lille signed Giroud. The striker looked as if he had made his last move before retirement when joining LAFC, as so many legendary footballers do when they move to the MLS.
Realistically, how much is Liam Delap worth?🤔
Indeed, Gareth Bale had a short stint at LAFC before retirement. But Giroud had more left in him and he returned to Lille in the summer of 2025, where he has scored 11 goals in 44 games for the Ligue 1 side.
An impressive campaign from Giroud. So much so, that despite soon turning 40, the striker has put pen to paper on a new one-year deal that will see him remain at Lille until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
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