Chelsea's Olivier Giroud has insisted he will not walk away from international football until France's emerging youth force him out of the team.
Giroud, 32, is on the cusp of securing his 84th cap for Les Bleus when the World Cup winners meet Germany on Tuesday, and despite recent struggles to find the back of the net the striker is as hungry as ever to make a valuable contribution for his country.
“The guys at Chelsea, notably Antonio Rudiger, have said to me: ‘Why do you carry on? You are on a high, on top of the world and you will soon be 32’," Giroud said, via the Mirror.
“But it would have been too easy to leave like that. I feel that I am still good enough. I can bring something to the team.
“So if the coach (Didier Deschamps) feels the same thing, I will be available. I know too well how much I am going to miss football after my career for me to put up my own barriers.
“So I am going to make the most of every chance because, obviously, I am closer to the end than the start. There is a risk that the youngsters will push me out of the door. It will maybe happen like that. It is maybe even better. But I am a competitor.”
Giroud, France's fourth all-time top goal scorer, ended a 10 game international goal drought in the 2-1 win over Netherlands in September to relieve the pressure starting to mount on his worth in
Source: 90min
