AC MilanOlivier Giroud says breaking Thierry Henry’s French goalscoring record shows younger players “anything is possible”.
The 36-year-old became France’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer with his 52nd international goal in Sunday’s last-16 win over Poland in Qatar.
“I was not playing at a very high level when I was 20,” Giroud said.
“What I have done now shows even if it takes time, if you have the desire to succeed and work hard, you can climb mountains.”
He has gone on to win a number of domestic and international honours in spells with Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan and was in the French side that triumphed in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
However, he has not always been regarded as a first choice for Les Bleus with around 30% of his 117 appearances coming as a substitute in a period that included Karim Benzema’s lengthy international exile.
In contrast to four years ago, where Giroud not only failed to score a goal but did not have a single shot on target in 546 minutes of action, he has already registered three goals this time around to help set up a quarter-final meeting with England on Saturday (19:00 GMT).
“That total of 52 makes me feel great. It has a lot of importance for me,” Giroud added.
“This record reminds me of the years that have gone by, 11 years with France with a lot of good memories and some not so good.
“If it can serve as an example that anything is possible, it’s great. It shows that you can’t get everything right away, like the youngsters want now, and that resilience and patience are key.
“The most important [thing] is to show a good example to the young players, to show them that even if the path they’re on is not a straightforward path, they can do it.”
