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Olivier Giroud has played down his rivalry with Karim Benzema and has suggested that his career in France could have been better if he had played frequently with the Real Madrid forward.
Benzema has not played for France for over five years, while Giroud has featured prominently in Les Bleus, figuring in their success at the World Cup in 2018.
Giroud’s double in the recent win against Ukraine means he is now France’s second-highest scorer of all time with 42 goals in 100 games.
“I have always been blamed a bit for Karim’s absence from the French team,” Giroud told TF1.
“There is a supposed rivalry, which some people have built from scratch.”
Earlier this year, Benzema compared Giroud’s pick ahead of him for Les Bleus to choosing a kart over a Formula 1 car.
Giroud said: ‘It made me laugh meeting him. I don’t hold a grudge against him.
“My career with Les Bleus could have been better if I played together with Karim Benzema, but we will never know.”
Benzema’s absence in France is due to an alleged plot to blackmail Mathieu Valbuena.
Giroud’s recent record against goal for France is quite impressive: he has scored three goals in three games in 2020, while in 2019 he managed to find the net six times in ten games.
France returns to action on Saturday night when they host Portugal in the Nations League.
On Wednesday they will face Croatia at home.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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