Perpetual motion? Olivier Giroud scores every 80 minutes and is first in Serie A
At 37 years old, Giroud still looks to be in his own prime period, with the French full-back scoring 12 goals and nine assists this season, scoring in double figures in 14 seasons, the highest in the Premier League, averaging one goal in 80 minutes, and his passing and shooting efficiency is also the highest in Serie A, as well as five headers, fifth in the top five leagues.
Milan have been the most attacking team this season, scoring 46 goals in 23 games, shared by 13 players, and are currently top of Serie A. Six goalscorers scored 30 goals, three midfielders eight and four defenders eight.
Olivier Giroud is undoubtedly the team's first striker and first assister, scoring 11 shots and eight crosses in 1,520 Premier League games, ranking third in the league scorer list and the highest number of assists, with the Frenchman scoring a goal in 80 minutes, a little more than Lautaro's 81 minutes. It is uncertain whether the 37-year-old will be able to match Mohamed Salah (79 hours) and Bellingham (101 minutes) in the Premier League.
A shooter's ability to score is crucial, but it's even rarer to have that kind of performance over multiple seasons. Since his debut in the Big 5 in 10 11, Giroud has scored more than double figures in 14 seasons. That also includes his highest 25 goals in Montpellier in 11/12 and 1920 at Chelsea. He has already scored 12 goals this season.
According to foreign data, Giroud is one of the four footballers who have scored eight or more goals in the big five leagues. The other three, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (eight shots from 14 attempts), Aston Villa Watkins had 10 shots from 11 attempts, and Leroy Sane (11 shots from eight attempts), the latter of course had much worse scoring ability than Giroud.
At 193m, Giroud is the only striker in the front line, and he can not only control the air, but he can also be a key figure in the team, creating scoring opportunities for his team-mates with a single shot and multiple overheads on goal. This season, Olivier Giroud has scored five headshots in the Premier League and one in the Champions League, and he is the second man in the top five leagues after Kane. Three of the nine assists came from the top and four from a shot.
You have to accept Giroud's decline, and the French are actually the opposite of it. During his three-and-a-half-year spell for Chelsea, he made 119 appearances for Manchester United, scoring 39 goals and providing 14 assists. At Milan, he played 112 games for the team, scoring 44 goals and providing 20 assists. Giroud joined Milan at the age of 35 with 250,000 and has now climbed to 4 million, making him the fourth oldest man aged 37 and older.
Giroud has a contract with Milan until 2024 and the team wants to extend his contract for another year, but the annual salary will be reduced to 3.5 million a year. Although the Frenchman is not too ambitious in terms of wages and had already turned down a club from Saudi Arabia last summer, Milan have not been looking for a suitable candidate for a summer move to the United States for family reasons, so it is difficult to determine which player will lead the game next season.