Criminally under-rated Olivier Giroud is proving that it’s madness to pension off footballers as soon as they hit 30
WATCHING Olivier Giroud score the goal which sent AC Milan into the Champions League semi-final this week, got me thinking a couple of things.
Why are we so desperate to pension off footballers when they get into their 30s?
And was there ever a more under-rated Premier League footballer than Giroud, who is now 36 and playing as well as ever?
With the age thing, I’m finding it myself. At 34, it feels like the young people want to retire me but despite some injuries this year — which I don’t really put down to age — I feel I can keep on playing for some time to come.
Everyone looks after themselves better these days. You can’t be a professional player without being in peak physical condition.
We see so many players excelling in their mid to late 30s, from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to James Milner and Giroud — and yet players get disrespected more than ever as they get older.
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The best way to describe recovering from a game of professional football when you’re in your 30s is by likening it to having a hangover.
When you’re in your 20s, the hangovers aren’t as bad and you’re ready to go again the next night.
But as you get older, you might think ‘I’ll have a few light beers on Friday, a session on Saturday and then sleep it off on Sunday’.
"I’m not saying I drink like this, by the way, I’m just giving you an analogy!
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Older pros train differently — like a boxer, you are trying to peak at the weekend. You can’t go full pelt on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Recovery sessions are more likely to be on the bike or in the pool rather than running out on the grass because you have to protect your joints, your knees especially.
But the older you get, the more know-how you have. And if you have the right individually-tailored training programme, there’s no doubt you can go on playing late into your 30s, perhaps even longer.
Giroud is certainly looking after himself — and what a couple of seasons he is having.
After winning Serie A with Milan last year, he reached his second World Cup final in Qatar and he’s now got a great chance of playing in the Champions League final, with a semi-final derby against Inter to come.
I mentioned before England played France in the World Cup quarter-final that I feared Giroud’s physicality — and he ended up heading their winner.
We underestimate him badly in this country. Five years ago now, people were trying to pension him off when he was at Arsenal.
We underestimated his pace, technical ability, strength and his finishing.
His reputation seemed to suffer when Arsenal went through some difficult years — the same happened with Danny Welbeck, who is still tearing it up at Brighton, aged 32.
But Giroud ended up playing a big part in Chelsea’s run to the Champions League in 2021 and now he’s having more success at Milan.
Just look at his roll of honour — two World Cup finals and one win, a Champions League, a Europa League, four FA Cups, league titles in France and Italy and a Puskas Award for the best goal in world football in 2017.
He’s good looking but not just a pretty face! His team-mates rated him very highly, as a player and a man. And his opponents too.
You watch that goal for Arsenal against Crystal Palace and tell me he isn’t supremely technically gifted and deceptively quick.
As Arsenal break, he plays a brilliant back-heeled pass in his own half, out-sprints the Palace defence and scores with a flying back-heeled ‘scorpion kick’ at the near post.
He’s a good looking lad, Olivier, but he’s not just a pretty face!
Giroud often seemed to be derided in England and I never understood it.
His team-mates certainly rated him very highly, as a player and a man.
And his opponents, too. I still have his shirts he swapped with me after I played for Watford against both Arsenal and Chelsea.
He is just a lovely geezer. He is into arts and culture, has done Hugo Boss adverts and he’s one of life’s good guys.
A lot of people thought Olivier was on his way out when he left Arsenal in 2018 — that’s five years ago now.
It seems to me that kids who play Fifa want to bin off any player over 30 who can’t do every trick on their video games.
Of course we all love to see exciting young players emerging.
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But there is a lot to be said for experience, on the pitch and in the dressing room.
There’s still life in the old dogs yet — and Giroud is an inspiration to all of us.