Olivier Giroud reveals favourite Arsenal goal as he confirms plans to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo

Giroud joined Lille on a one-year deal as a replacement for Jonathan David, who left the club on a free over the summer for Serie A powerhouse Juventus. And the experienced striker made an immediate impact for Les Dogues as he scored on his second Ligue 1 debut in a 3-3 draw at Brest in August.

The former Arsenal and Chelsea man followed that up with the decisive strike in Lille's 1-0 home win over Monaco, while he came off the bench to net a late winner against Brann in the Europa League last month.

And the former France forward has revealed he has no plans to call time on his career anytime soon and wants to emulate Ronaldo by playing until he turns 40.

Giroud, who turned 39 last month, has admitted he is open to the possibility of extending his career beyond the end of the current season and continuing once he turns 40. Ronaldo, who celebrated his 40th birthday in February, signed a two-year contract with Al-Nassr earlier this year.

"It could be one year plus another, but it could just be one, too," Giroud said. "You can’t have regrets. You have to live in the moment and be ready to stop it all at some point. But 40 is a number that I am aware of.

"But it will be a group decision, with my wife and my family. It is about being reasonable. If I think that I can bring something and if the club are also satisfied with me, we will sit around a table and we’ll see."

Giroud also felt a move to Lille was 'perfect', adding: "Lille, for me who is very close to London and I want to live there after my career, it was perfect."

Giroud also revealed the best goal he has ever scored. The Frenchman has scored a number of memorable goals across spans in France, England, Italy and America, but believes his strike against Crystal Palace in 2017 is the one that sticks out.

"My best goals aren’t too bad,” he told L’Equipe via the Mirror. "The best, that’s still the scorpion kick with Arsenal. With all modesty, we’ll never see that move again.

"A showman? Not like the geniuses, the magicians, the dribblers like Neymar, the guys who get the crowd on their feet with their moves, but in another way, yes, I am."

Giroud is currently France's record scorer with 57 goals to his name, but is backing captain Kylian Mbappe, who has scored 53 times for Les Bleus, to smash that record, and believes  the Real Madrid hitman will hit closer to 100.

Giroud has also opened the door over a potential return to the France national team. The Lille forward retired from international football after Euro 2024 but would be open to an emergency recall if required.

"You can never say never. If there is a need, and if I am competitive and available, I will be there," he added.

"But it is really very unlikely. You have to be serious."

The French frontman also reserved praise for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who recently scored on his full France debut against Iceland, stating: "It’s great for Jean-Philippe Mateta that he’s been called up. It’s also a great example that he can taste all that at 28. And he seems to me to be a great person."