Olivier Giroud: France striker to retire from internationals after Euro 2024 – ‘Make way for the youngsters’

France striker Olivier Giroud will retire from international duty after this summer's European Championships, as the current team needs to "make way for the youngsters".

Les Bleus head to Germany as the bookmakers' favourites, having made the final in three of the last four major tournaments, with Giroud in the squad each time.

The first of those was a loss to Portugal in the Euro 2016 showpiece on home soil, before bouncing back superbly to win the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with a commanding 4-2 triumph over Croatia.

Euro 2020, rearranged to a year later due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was less successful as France exited in the round of 16, losing to Switzerland on penalties. That fate was repeated in the final of the 2022 World Cup, as a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick wasn't enough to beat Argentina.

Giroud believes the next two months will prove to be the end to this generation of the French national team, so he is electing to step aside at the age of 37.

However, the former Arsenal and Chelsea man still feels he has enough in the tank to prolong his club career in Major League soccer, having recently penned a deal with Los Angeles FC.

He told L'Equipe: "To be honest, this will be my last competition with Les Bleus. Obviously, I'm going to miss it a lot. But I think the French team will be over after the Euros. We need to make way for the youngsters.

"You also have to be careful not to have one season too many. You have to find the right balance. I've always said that I was going to stop when my body asked me to.

"I think I've got two good years left. But as far as the French team is concerned, I think that'll be the end of it."

Giroud will be looking for a fitting swansong to his European career with glory in Berlin, after finishing the club season trophyless with AC Milan, who are currently 19 points behind champions Inter Milan in Serie A.

However, the No. 9 has still produced some memories on a personal level, having remarkably made the Serie A Team of the Week as a goalkeeper in early October, making a crucial save when filling in after a red card.

He also scored the winning goal against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stage - one of 16 strikes across all competitions this term.

LAFC's new star signing is the all-time top scorer for France, with 57 goals, having overtaken the legendary Thierry Henry. His place at the top is set to be short-lived, though, with Mbappe just 11 behind and with plenty of time on his side.

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