Olivier Giroud reveals he cried when Roberto Baggio missed the decisive penalty kick in the 1994 World Cup Final and was sad to see Liverpool beat Milan in the famous Champions League Final in Istanbul.
The France striker is Milan’s second best scorer this season after Rafael Leao but has netted decisive goals against Inter, Napoli and Lazio. He has Italian roots as his grandmothers came from Italy and, therefore, he’s always had a strong bond with the country and La Nazionale.
“When I was 20, I let my hair grow, I wanted to become like Fabio Cannavaro or Alessandro Nesta,” he told L’Equipe.
“My brother gifted me one of those marvellous Kappa kits. I cried when Roberto Baggio missed the penalty in 1994, but in 2006 I was supporting Les Blues, of course.”
Giroud joined Milan from Chelsea last summer, fulfilling his dream to play for the Rossoneri.
“My dream was to play in England, but in Italy, it was only Milan. Andriy Shevchenko was my favourite striker,” he said.
“I’ve also watched many videos of Marco Van Basten. I remember the Champions League Final against Liverpool [in 2005] very well. I was sad. They were 3-0 up and Sheva missed the decisive penalty kick. In 2007, they won it again. Milan are a great club.”
Giroud believes Serie A has become more competitive and explains how Stefano Pioli and Paolo Maldini have played a key role in the development of the Rossoneri.
“It hurt to see Milan behind with Juventus ahead. From what I can say, Milan lacked a figure like Paolo Maldini. He attends training sessions every day. The coach does his job, but the club is always close.
“There is nothing left to chance,” the ex-Chelsea striker continued. “If a player trains well and is competitive enough, the coach will notice it and give him a chance. Training sessions are intense and Serie A is competitive again, unlike when Juventus dominated.”
The 35-year-old seems to be enjoying his life in Italy, on and off the pitch and the Serie A giants have a fair chance to win their first Scudetto in 11 years.
They are one point behind leaders Inter with a game in hand and will face Verona at the Stadio Bentegodi tomorrow.
“I’ve been speaking Italian since day one, the coach wants us to speak Italian to understand each other during games,” said Giroud.
“There is a lot to do, the target was to qualify for the Champions League, but are Milan and with the results that we are obtaining, the Scudetto is the goal I have in mind.”
Giroud a L'Equipe: "A questo club mancava una persona: Paolo Maldini. In Champions abbiamo un conto in sospeso" https://t.co/nxs6MVyvHy
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