Olivier Giroud, LAFC officially part ways after Club World Cup | OneFootball

Olivier Giroud and LAFC have officially parted ways by mutual consent, the club announced Friday, bringing an end to one of the more disappointing star turns in MLS history.

The 38-year-old Giroud arrived with high hopes last summer to an already competitive squad, fresh off back-to-back double-digit goal seasons in Italy's Serie A with AC Milan that suggested he could be a lethal MLS finisher.

That never happened. He eventually scored three MLS goals this season after finally breaking through for his first in late April. And he soon lost his starting place to a combination of offseason acquisition Jeremy Ebobisse and emerging Salvadoran-American prospect Nathan Ordaz.

Still brilliant in flashes

Even so, he did offer a couple of memorable contributions. He scored in LAFC's 3-1 2024 Leagues Cup final defeat to Columbus, and its 3-1 2024 U.S. Open Cup final victory over Sporting Kansas City.

And he gave arguably his best performance during LAFC's most important match from a financial standpoint, as a second-half substitute who helped the Black-and-Gold to a 2-1 victory over Club America in the playoff for the final FIFA World Cup that was worth nearly $10 million to club coffers.

His exit will open up a Designated Player spot for LAFC, which will now have two potentially to play with when Cengiz Under's loan expires at the end of the month.

What's next for LAFC?

It's unclear whether LAFC will look for a replacement as splashy as it was to secure France's all-time leading international goal-scorer.

The cub reportedly had an extended courtship with fellow French striker Antoine Griezmann, but the 34-year-old agreed to an extension with Atletico Madrid in early June before the Club World Cup began.