‘I have never seen greater passion’ Olivier Giroud compares the North London Derby with the Derby della Madonnina

Ask any footballer to list their greatest games and, invariably, they'll include a derby, given the passion and fury that those games tend to inspire.

One man who knows this more than most is Frenchman Olivier Giroud, who played in some of Europe’s biggest and most ferocious derby games across spells in France, England and Italy.

Giroud, 40 years old and still playing professional football with Lille in his home country, starred in both the North London derby, contested by Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and the Derby della Madonnina, between AC Milan and Inter. In an exclusive chat with FFT, he shares his key memories of the two.

‘The songs, the tifos, the people, the derby, the stadium and everything else like that - it just means the world to me’ Olivier Giroud recalls his greatest derby moments

“My first derby at the Emirates was very special,” says Giroud, who joined Arsenal from Montpellier in 2012 and went on to make 180 appearances for the Gunners.

“My friend Hugo Lloris was in goal for Tottenham and I scored to win the game 5-2. It was always hugely important for the fans and the city to win the North London derby.”

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Yet Arsenal fans may be surprised to hear that there’s a derby he loves arguably even more.

Playing the Derby della Madonnina in Milan is perhaps even more special,” smiles the 2018 World Cup winner. “There are 80,000 people at the San Siro going crazy. I have never seen greater passion than that.

“I did an interview with an Italian journalist a few weeks ago and mentioned my love for the club and, since then, my name has been mentioned everywhere - people asking if Giroud will come back to play at Milan because he misses us.

“So that love and the passion the Milan fans have shown me is something I can never forget. It’s crazy because I didn’t actually intend to say anything about going back to play at Milan - I’m almost 40 years old! But Milan for sure will always hold a very special place in my heart. The songs, the tifos, the people, the derby, the stadium and everything else like that - it just means the world to me.”

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