Giroud says leaving Arsenal for Chelsea was necessary for his World Cup dream

A tough call for the good of his career

Olivier Giroud has explained why he had to leave Arsenal, saying the decision in January 2018 to join Chelsea was necessary to boost his chances of making France's World Cup squad that summer.

Giroud joined Arsenal on the back of propelling Montpellier to the Ligue 1 title in 2012. He scored 105 goals in 253 games for the Gunners before leaving the Emirates Stadium in January 2018.

Giroud, who is set for a reunion with Arsenal when his current club Lille face them in the Champions League on Tuesday, said he ultimately had to make a ruthless call for the good of his career.

"It was part of my career and my time," he said. "I had to leave the club in order to play the 2018 World Cup and we know the end of the story.

"I was really sad to leave the club but I had to make that choice and that was a tough one in my career but it was necessary and important for the rest of my career."

World Cup success in Russia

The move paid off. Giroud went on to play a key role in France's World Cup triumph in Russia. He played 119 times for Chelsea and scored 39 goals for the Blues, before spells at AC Milan, Los Angeles FC and now Lille.

Arteta leads the praise

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta played alongside Giroud and was effusive in his praise of the 40-year-old.

"Every time you had him on the pitch, you had a massive threat inside the box," Arteta said of Giroud. "He was very smart. He was so good at connecting with other players as well and his work rate was phenomenal, so certainly not [underrated] by us."

Background: Giroud has previously said that the current season will 'very probably' be his last, as he approaches his 40th birthday. In Ligue 1 this season (2026-27), FotMob data as of 13 October 2026 shows him with 6 appearances, 1 goal and 2 assists for Lille.