Olivier Giroud pays tribute to Didier Deschamps after France farewell | OneFootball

Didier Deschamps oversaw his final match as France head coach in Saturday night’s World Cup third-place play-off against England, which finished 4-6. On Sunday, Olivier Giroud said in a post that the chapter had turned but the legacy would endure.

The pair’s partnership stretched across 12 years, from Deschamps’s appointment in 2012 to Giroud’s international retirement in 2024. They experienced a lost Euro 2016 final to Portugal, a 4-2 World Cup triumph over Croatia in 2018, then defeat to Argentina in 2022 after a 3-3 draw, 4-2 on penalties.

The former France striker won 137 caps and scored 57 goals. He wrote that it was a privilege and immense pride to help shape French football history alongside Deschamps and the team.

The Lille forward added that they would be linked for life, and that the manager’s words in the dressing room on 15 July 2018 still echo in his head.

Selected throughout the Deschamps era, Giroud became France’s record goalscorer for a time, later surpassed by Kylian Mbappé at the 2026 World Cup.

Source: L'Équipe