‘I gave everything for this shirt’ – Giroud gets ready for Milan farewell

Olivier Giroud finally announced yesterday that he will be leaving AC Milan after three seasons at the club, and now he is looking to go out on a high.

This morning’s edition of Corriere dello Sport (via PianetaMilan) dedicates a section to Giroud, who confirmed yesterday in an emotional interview with Milan TV that the last two matches of the season against Torino and Salernitana will be his final ones for Milan, then he will move to the USA.

“I will play my last two matches at Milan, then I will continue my career in MLS. I am very proud of everything I have done for Milan in these three years, but the right time has come to say it. My story with Milan ends this year but Milan will remain in my heart forever,” he said.

In the almost three seasons with Milan, Giroud has so far scored 48 goals and provided 19 assists in 130 games. He still has 180 minutes of play to get to the nice round numbers of 50 goals and 20 assists, which will no doubt be one of his aims.

In his interview, the 37-year-old admitted that he would have liked to end his experience at Milan with another trophy after the 2021-22 Scudetto victory.

“I gave everything for this shirt and I want to finish the season well. I’m very competitive and that’s why I hoped to leave with a trophy. This year, winning the title was very difficult, because Inter have had a great campaign, but in Europe, yes, there is regret. I was devastated when we lost to Roma,” he said.

“Against Roma we played below our level. There was frustration, I was devastated after that match because I wanted to bring another trophy to Milan. I hope that Milan, even when I leave, will still win. I will always be a Milan fan and he will always remain in my heart.”

Giroud also spoke about the emotions he experienced in the Rossoneri shirt and those he would still like to experience before leaving.

“The last home game I will be very emotional but I want to finish well, I want to thank the fans. The fans of Milan welcomed me very well. I couldn’t dream of a first year like this, with the Scudetto, and all the fabulous emotions we experienced together,” he said.

“I’m very proud. I started watching Milan when I was little, and then as a boy Andriy Shevchenko was my favorite player. Milan won a lot. In Italy only AC Milan.”

In just under two weeks the Rossoneri faithful will pack out San Siro to say goodbye to a striker who – beyond his goals and memorable moments – felt such a strong attachment to the club and the fans.