While the Arsenal and France global star Olivier Giroud has come in for his fair (or unfair depending on your point of view) share of criticism from some members of the football media in England as well as some Arsenal fans, this is nearly exclusively confined to the papers, TV and social media and does not tend to manifest itself in the terraces.
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But Giroud was still booed by his own country’s fans who were frustrated at Karim Benzema’s absence.
Giroud responded by scoring three goals at Euro 2016 to help his country reach the final, and while he never took it personally he did find it hard to deal with.
The 29-year-old, who led the line for France at Euro 16, received an endless amount of jeers from supporters throughout the tournament, as they appeared to protest the suspension of Benzema.
The striker was suspended indefinitely by the FFF in December 2015 after being put under formal investigation by a judge for an alleged plot to blackmail France team mate Mathieu Valbuena.
He added on whether the reception affected him: ‘Yes, it annoyed me.
‘It if had been a priority, the manager would have asked me to come back sooner. It was just disappointing’.
‘I was not even remotely responsible for this story and I did not understand the kind of hatred that developed against me’.
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FFF president Noel Le Graet has said the striker will be available for selection, but the final decision will rest with coach Didier Deschamps.
