Olivier Giroud signs one-year deal with French Ligue 1 club Lille

Olivier Giroud will return to French football for the first time since 2012, after signing a one-year deal with Ligue 1 club Lille on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old, France's all-time record goalscorer, left Major League Soccer side LAFC last week. Giroud last played in the French top flight for Montpellier, winning the 2011-12 Ligue 1 title before heading to England to sign with Premier League club Arsenal.

"I'm very happy and excited to be back in France, home," Giroud said in a statement. "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."

Giroud spent six seasons with Arsenal, scoring more than 100 goals for the London giants before jumping to rivals Chelsea, with whom he won the UEFA Champions League title in 2021.

The striker then spent three seasons in Italy with AC Milan, lifting the Serie A trophy in 2022, before making the move to MLS. Giroud retired from international football last year with a record-setting 57 goals in 137 appearances for France, and helped Les Bleus win the FIFA World Cup in 2018.