Olivier Giroud (40) revealed, in a programme organised to mark his 40th birthday and broadcast on Canal+, that he had been approached by Borussia Dortmund before signing for Chelsea.

It was an option the French striker never really gave serious thought to, largely due to family upheavals. “Jen (his wife) was pregnant; she gave birth on 25th January 2018. And she said to me, ‘If you make me move to another country, to Germany, and to Dortmund of all places, I’ll kill you’,” he joked.

Lacking playing time at Arsenal and driven by the desire to play in the 2018 World Cup, Giroud eventually signed for Chelsea. “At the time, it was a natural progression,” he recalls. “The two best clubs at the time, both in the Premier League and in Europe, were Chelsea and Manchester City.”

“In the end, it all worked out well, because there was a bit of a game of musical chairs. Michy Batsuahi left Chelsea to join Borussia Dortmund, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang moved from BvB to Arsenal, and I went to Chelsea.”

A Chelsea player between 2018 and 2021, Giroud made 119 appearances for the Blues, scoring 39 goals, providing 14 assists and winning, notably, the Champions League and the Europa League.

GFFN | Léo Aschi