Laurent Koscielny spoke about his former teammate in club and national selection, Olivier Giroud.
“Olivier and I have come a long way! We faced each other for the first time, in the National, in 2007. He played in Istres and I in Tours. I had this tall guy in front of me, long hair but already a warrior. Then he joined us in Tours, in L2. It was there, in these small divisions, that he began to forge his mind. He was already a hard worker who stayed for hitting sessions or to improve his technique after training. It is when he is in the hard, in the criticism of the press or his coaches, hurt in his self-esteem, that he leaves the big matches. When expected, he responds present. He silenced a lot of people! We also made our first selection together, on November 11, 2011, against the United States (1-0). We then met at Arsenal (2012-2018). These journeys have forged our friendship. We had a few raclette evenings with the family! We weren’t the most talented but we are proof that hard work pays off. I think Euro 2016 was important for him in terms of confidence among the Blues. He scores the first goal of the competition against Romania (2-1). It makes. And while he doesn’t score in 2018, he has been huge for the team and their teammates. That’s what matters to him. I never felt any doubts. He wants to make the Euro. Then just behind, there is the World Cup in Qatar. He is capable of going that far ”.
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