By Alex RobertsGiroud joined LAFC in the summer of 2024, fresh off the back of arguably his best spell at a club having scored 49 goals in 133 appearances across all competitions for AC Milan. There was a lot of expectation when he went to California, unfortunately, it didn’t go as well as all parties had hoped.At his previous club, Giroud was a perfect focal point, capable of linking up with other players in build-up, while offering consistent finishing and a penchant for the remarkable. His relationship with Lille favourite Eden Hazard at Chelsea is testament to that.He had a quick start, scoring his team’s lone goal in a 3-1 loss to the Columbus Crew in the 2024 Leagues Cup final before bagging again in LAFC’s 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City in the 2024 U.S. Open Cup final.Giroud’s top flight club historyHead coach Steve Cherundolo didn’t always set his side up in a way that would get the best out of Giroud, however, and minutes in the MLS were scarce. Cherundolo likes his side to work well in transition, using measured sequences of possession before quickly breaking up field.At the ripe old age of 38, Giroud isn’t the spring chicken he used to be, and keeping up with the likes of Denis Bouanga, David Martínez and Nathan Ordaz was a real struggle for the Frenchman, which was ultimately reflected in his poor numbers.With just five goals and three assists over his 38 games for LAFC, his contract was torn up, by mutual consent, after their forgettable FIFA Club World Cup campaign earlier in the summer. At least he got 45 minutes against Chelsea.Just four days after leaving LAFC, he had signed for Lille, and Giroud would play in the French topflight for the first time since he and Montpellier shocked the footballing world with their Ligue 1 triumph back in 2011-12.“I’m very happy and excited to be back in France, home. It made perfect sense to return to Ligue 1, 13 years after leaving it. I’ve always considered Lille a top French club. It’s a young and talented squad, which needs experienced players like me. So, I’ll also be there in that role,” he told the press after he was announced.He clearly knows his role because he’s right, Lille do have a young squad with an average age of 25.3 years, although Giroud will have tipped the scales somewhat. It’s also unlikely he’s going to play every game this season, so he’s come in to make an impact when he can and help his younger teammates with the expertise and leadership he’s picked up along the way.After a fifth-place finish in last season’s Ligue 1, star man Jonathan David decided to leave, joining Juventus as a free agent after a prolific five years at Lille. He’s not the first and is unlikely to be the last elite striker to walk through the doors at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.As the French national team’s all-time leading goal scorer, he has plenty of advice to give the young whippersnappers. Aaron Malouda son of the great Florent, is one of those players that should be hanging on his every word.Bruno Genesio is the type of manager Giroud has had immense success with in the past. He prefers his side to dominate possession but is versatile enough to know when the game calls for a hoofed ball up to the big man.In the early stages of last season, Lille had to contend with several injuries, but Genesio found a way, recording historic Champions League wins over Spanish giants Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid, while also earning a 1-1 draw with Juventus.Of course, Giroud can’t press as hard as David had to but can hold up play like the best of them, bringing in the likes of Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, Edon Zhegrova (if he stays at the club this summer), and Osame Sahraoui in the game and creating space.We got a quick glimpse of what he could do in their 1-1 pre-season draw with West Ham. Midfielder André Gomes pinged a simple ball into the box, Giroud controlled it with his chest before spinning and smashing it beyond Alphonse Areola on the volley. Very old dog, same very old tricks.For the sake of balance, he should have never had the chance. The West Ham defenders inexplicably step up leaving him in acres of space, hoping for an offside flag that was never going to come. That might be a running theme for them this season.Giroud and Lille faced Brest in their first game of the season, and it didn’t take long for the handsome devil to make himself known. Eleven minutes in, he latched on to a lovely ball from Felix Correia, using his only touch to guide it past Radoslaw Majecki, becoming the clubs oldest ever Ligue 1 goal scorer.The game ended 3-3, and Lille find themselves in ninth with a visit from early league leaders Monaco next up over the weekend. There is plenty of football still to be played, but Giroud only signed a one-year deal at the club, he’ll be hoping to get them back in the Champions League once the curtain finally closes.From there, who knows, don’t be surprised if we see him scoring a bicycle kick against PSG at some point in the next couple of seasons.(Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every Ligue 1 game on FotMob in the 2025/26 season – with in-depth stat coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.