Olivier Giroud has given an interview to Le Parisien in which he talks about being hated.

A player who is vastly underrated and who has been treated extremely unfairly by the media in the UK, and therefore a section of the Arsenal fanbase, Giroud passed Eric Cantona’s France scoring record with his 11th goal in 13 games for his country.

Still people insist he’s rubbish.

His quotes have come via Google translate, so, you know…

It started with him being asked about the resentment that came his way after Karim Benzema was left out of the France squad.

“I answer you but do not worry the headline because this is not the most important. 

“Yes, it inflated me to be polite. I was not responsible, nor even remotely for this story [about Karim Benzema] and I did not understand this kind of hatred that has developed against me. Benzema guys wanted to tip and it fell on me.

“[After the tournament] Always the same words: “Thank you”, “Congratulations”, “you have made us proud” but also “thanks to you, we could forget for a moment the context of the [terrorist] attacks.”

He was then asked if we should worry about his playing time with Arsenal this season. He replied, “No. That is my little workout time since my return from vacation. 

“If there was an emergency, the coach has asked me to come back earlier. This is not the case. 

“Do not worry about me, all is well. 

“I’m used to people doubting me. 

“It has been like that since the beginning of my career. 

“At the same time, I may need this to not settle into a comfort zone. But between my last season with Arsenal and the Euros, I have no reason to ask me questions.”