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AC Milan striker Olivier Giroud has named Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema in an XI made up of the best players he has played with during his career.
Giroud, 36, has enjoyed an illustrious playing career and has shown no signs of slowing down. The Frenchman has played for the likes of Milan, Arsenal, Chelsea and Montpellier. He has scored 264 goals in 664 club appearances.
The French striker has played alongside some incredible players along the way and has chosen the 11 he thinks to be the best. He did so while speaking on CBS' Morning Footy show.
Giroud chose his Milan teammate Mike Maignan in goal, with Chelsea's Thiago Silva, Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger his French compatriots Theo and Lucas Hernandez in defence. He explained:
"Hugo Lloris was also really good, but Mike (Maignan) is unbelievable."
Maignan has been a mainstay in the Rossonerri side since joining from LOSC Lille in 2021. He has kept 27 clean sheets in 61 games across competitions at the San Siro. The goalkeeper is viewed as the heir to the recently retired Hugo Lloris in the France team.
Giroud then explained how he couldn't choose one Hernandez brother without the other:
"They are brothers; they are the same. I couldn't pick between them. I love their mentality."
The French striker plays alongside Theo at both international and club level, so knows about the talent he possesses.
He has been a key part of Stefano Pioli's side that have advanced to the UEFA Champions League semifinals. Lucas, meanwhile, has enjoyed a fine spell at Bayern Munich, but his season was halted by a torn muscle at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Giroud also heaped praise on Rudiger for his 'toughness in training' and Silva for his 'winning mentality'.
The Frenchman then selected Chelsea's N'Golo Kante, Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, Real Madrid's Eden Hazard, Frank Ribery and Mesut Ozil in midfield.
Giroud plays alongside Griezmann for France and has seen how the Atleti attacker has reinvented himself in a midfield role. He impressed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, providing three assists in seven games.
He also plays with Kante for Les Bleus, the defensive midfielder who sat out the World Cup. However, he's regarded as one of the Premier League's best midfielders in history.
Meanwhile, Hazard has struggled for form since joining Real Madrid from Chelsea but lit up the Premier League during his time at Stamford Bridge. He's joined by Ribery who Giroud praised for being "technically amazing", as well as having "pace, power and skills."
Ozil played with Giroud at Arsenal, and the two forged a brilliant partnership. The German was often providing assists for the French frontman.
Giroud surprised nobody by selecting PSG attacker Mbappe and Madrid's Benzema as his front two. The duo have been in sensational form over the past few seasons.
Mbappe has bagged 206 goals in 255 games for the Parisians and won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup with eight goals. Meanwhile, Benzema won the Ballon d'Or last year for leading Los Blancos to a Champions League and La Liga double.
Giroud lauds Kylian Mbappe as best striker he's played with
Giroud took time during the 2022 FIFA World Cup to lavish praise on Kylian Mbappe amid the pair's partnership at the tournament. He termed the PSG striker as the best player he's played with (via Sky Sports):
"Kylian is basically one of the best players I've played with. He is amazing and is still young, which is scary as he can still improve."
The former Arsenal striker alluded to Mbappe's persistence as he continues to score goals for both club and country:
"He is very efficient and, from the beginning of the competition, he's been crucial for us - very decisive, very competitive. He's obviously the best striker I've played with in all of the teams I've played in."
Mbappe has 35 goals in 38 games across competitions this season. He has also bagged 38 goals in 67 international caps for France.
