Former Chelsea and Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has the chance to continue his stunning form against Liverpool this evening.
AC Milan are without Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the Champions League opener but were handed a huge boost by the Frenchman‘s return.
Giroud, who joined the Rossoneri this summer, won the Champions League, Europa League and an FA Cup during his spell at Stamford Bridge.
The 34-year-old was handed the ‘cursed’ No.9 shirt at Milan, with Filippo Inzaghi the last striker to regularly score wearing the top back in 2012.
But Giroud will have no better opportunity to break the hoodoo surrounding the iconic strip than by proving to be Liverpool’s nemesis again in their Group B tie tonight.
During his nine-years in London, the France international relished playing the Reds – boasting a record of a goal every other game against them.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are Giroud’s fourth favourite opponent in front of goal, with the veteran only having a better record against Aston Villa, Newcastle and Southampton.
The World Cup winner scored 8 goals in the 16 games he featured against Liverpool, including seven in the Premier League, while he also bagged Chelsea’s only strike in their 2019 Super Cup defeat.
Giroud was also on the winning side for both times he faced the Merseysiders in the FA Cup – Arsenal’s 2-1 win in 2013/14 and Chelsea’s 2-0 victory in 2019/20.
He even netted twice in one game against Liverpool in the iconic 3-3 draw at tonight’s stomping ground Anfield back in January 2016.
Giroud is France’s second-highest international goalscorer ever which proved why Karim Benzema’s infamous criticism of him was so unfair.
Speaking on social media in 2020, Real Madrid star Benzema was asked how he rated fellow centre-forward Giroud.
He said: “This won’t take long. You don’t confuse F1 with go-karting. And I’m being kind. Next… and I know I’m F1.”
Giroud expertly responded to that criticism saying: “What am I, a go-kart?’ A world champion go-kart.”
It was partly this humour that made the Champions League winner such a cult figure in London despite playing for both Arsenal and Chelsea.
And it was during his time at the Gunners, when Giroud’s trademark wit first became noticed by fans as he called out UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
The forward was quizzed by compatriot Laurent Koscielny on how long he would last in a fight with the then-featherweight champion.
Giroud jokingly responded: “Maybe 10 seconds?
“I have never been in a cage fighting UFC. It would be nice to try. So, McGregor, when you want?… OK, I’m dead.”