10月13日,周四晚间,里尔队将在欧洲冠军联赛中客场挑战阿森纳队,法国射手吉鲁也将重返他曾经的战场——酋长球场。据《The Athletic》报道,吉鲁在其职业生涯中已铸就了一段璀璨的足球传奇。

From 2012 to 2018, Giroud was the primary striker for Arsenal, etching numerous memorable moments into the club's history. Notable among these were his scorpion kick goal against Crystal Palace in 2017 and his assist to Wilshere that led to Norwich's net being breached in 2013. However, there were also moments that left Arsenal supporters feeling disheartened, such as his missed opportunities against Monaco in 2015, which contributed to the team's halt at the UEFA Champions League round of 16. In the 2015/16 season, Giroud's inability to score in 15 consecutive league matches indirectly paved the way for Leicester City to claim the English Premier League title.

In January 2018, the 31-year-old striker departed from Arsenal, having scored an impressive 105 goals for the Gunners and aiding Arsene Wenger's achievement of securing three FA Cups within a four-year span. The most intriguing twist was that his reputation soared only after his exit from the club. Half a year later, he led the French team to claim the World Cup title in 2018. In 2021, he contributed to Chelsea's triumph in the UEFA Champions League, and in 2022, he assisted AC Milan in reclaiming the Italian Serie A championship after an 11-year absence.

在法国国家队,吉鲁以137次出场记录和57粒进球,荣登法国足球历史射手榜第二位,紧随姆巴佩的67球之后。在卡塔尔世界杯上,他的进球数超越了亨利,荣膺法国国家队历史上最佳射手,并率领球队挺进决赛。

在接受采访时,吉鲁透露,他认为自己的职业生涯巅峰年龄段在30至32岁之间。自30岁起,他的角色发生了显著变化,主要担任超级替补的角色。在2016/17赛季,他在联赛中贡献了12个进球,其中6个进球是在替补出场时取得的。此外,他也是阿森纳在英超联赛中头球进球数最多的球员,总共有27个头球得分。

在初期职业生涯中,吉鲁并未受到广泛的认可。在为格勒诺布尔效力期间,主教练曾公开表示他的水平甚至无法达到法乙级别。然而,他并未因此而气馁,通过租借至法丙的伊斯特尔,他成功打入了14球,紧接着在图尔俱乐部贡献了30粒进球,展现出了出色的状态。随后,他加盟了蒙彼利埃,并在2011/12赛季助力球队首次夺得法甲联赛冠军。直到25岁那年,他才首次被选入法国国家队。

尽管吉鲁并非以速度著称的前锋,然而他在背身接球、传球以及禁区内的小范围配合方面表现出色。他精通于串联进攻,与威尔希尔和卡索拉等技巧型球员协同作战,这种能力在现代前锋中愈发罕见。德尚充分认识到吉鲁在战术上的重要性,在2018年世界杯淘汰赛阶段频繁派遣他上场,利用他的牵制力为姆巴佩创造进攻机会,尽管他在那届比赛中并未进球。

在40岁之龄,法国前锋吉鲁重返法甲,加入了里尔队,踏上了职业生涯晚期的告别征程。他表示,在海外漂泊多年后重返故土,投身于法国联赛,是一段令人愉悦的旅程。他感慨,无论是在国内的哪座球场,都感受到了球迷们热烈的欢迎。

在切尔西时期,吉鲁曾在欧联杯决赛中战胜阿森纳,此后他的言论引发了争议。在枪手生涯中,他的表现时好时坏。此次回归酋长球场,他可能不会得到观众的热烈欢迎。然而,不容忽视的是,尽管多次受到外界质疑,他仍成功赢得了世界杯、欧冠、意甲联赛和足总杯等多项荣誉,并在40岁高龄依然活跃在欧冠赛场上。这样的成就和经历无疑是值得尊敬的。在他退役之际,吉鲁将拥有属于自己的辉煌瞬间。