Olivier Giroud will continue for another year at AC Milan. The 36-year-old striker sticks to it for a year. The Frenchman’s contract expired at the end of this season.
Turbulent 24 hours for Giroud: penalty miss, goal, semi-final and new contract
It has been such a special 24 hours for Giroud. The striker qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League with AC Milan on Tuesday evening, but missed a penalty against Napoli in the first half. The attack leader, who has already played 38 matches this season, made up for that just before the break by scoring the opening goal. It eventually became 1-1 against Napoli, which was enough for AC Milan to enter the semi-final of the elite tournament for the first time since 2007.
Giroud does not know how to stop for the time being. He will therefore continue at AC Milan, but also announced earlier that he will remain available for national coach Didier Deschamps of France. In March he played another fifteen minutes in the 4-0 victory over the Dutch national team.
Betis icon Joaquín (41) will retire after this season
We shift our focus to another legend of the game, who unlike Giroud will not extend his career. Joaquín hangs up his boots after this season. The 41-year-old captain of Real Betis is calling it a day after more than two decades of professional football.
The Spaniard himself announced this on Wednesday afternoon. In a sentimental video via Real Betis’ club channels, he said that after more than six hundred games, it was enough. Joaquín comes from the youth of Real Betis, broke through there and returned to his great love in 2015 after adventures at Valencia, Málaga CF and Fiorentina.
Joaquín’s total number of matches in the shirt of Real Betis is approaching four hundred. This season he has nine more La Liga games to increase that number. In addition, the midfielder and attacker was good for 86 goals in a club context and four goals in 51 international matches for Spain.
Joaquín won silverware three times in his career and three times that was the Copa del Rey. Once in his first period with Real Betis, once with Valencia and again in 2022 with Betis after his return. “For 23 years I have tried to make football an art and to be remembered from generation to generation. From classic to contemporary. Now all I have left to do is hang my shoes, my art,” he said.
