Jaap Stam, a former defender for Manchester United, explains why Oliver Giroud was inferior to Thierry Henry as a player.
Following Giroud’s new goal record, the discussion of which of the two France legends was the greater player arose today.
In their 3-1 victory over Poland in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the AC Milan forward scored his 52nd goal for France.
He scored twice in France’s 4-1 group-stage rout of Australia to tie the mark, then added another goal on Sunday to break it.
Stam feels that Giroud is unable of many of the things that Thierry Henry was capable of with the ball, like scoring free kicks, dribbling, and quickly opening up defenses.
It’s simpler to defend against a player like Oliver Giroud than Thierry Henry, in my opinion, if we’re talking about who is more difficult to attack.
“This is due to Thierry Henry’s ability to pick pockets and weaken defenses. He can move forward, dribble, and use his pace very effectively.
“Giroud is more of a static player, and once he enters the box, he obviously makes good use of his position, but as a defender, he’s simpler to defend against,” he remarked on SuperSport.
