Olivier Giroud explained it was necessary for him to leave Arsenal in order to boost his chances of making France's 2018 World Cup squad.

Giroud joined Arsenal on the back of propelling Montpellier to the Ligue 1 title in 2012.

He scored 105 goals in 253 games for the Gunners, but left in January 2018 to join Chelsea.

And Giroud, who is set for a reunion with Arsenal with Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday, said he ultimately had to make a ruthless call for the good of his career.

"It was part of my career and my time," he said.

"I had to leave the club in order to play the 2018 World Cup and we know the end of the story.

"I was really sad to leave the club but I had to make that choice and that was a tough one in my career but it was necessary and important for the rest of my career."

A legend will be back tomorrow Olivier Giroud loos back on his Arsenal years before returning to the Emirates Stadium tomorrow See you soon @Arsenal https://t.co/6WDclD8RQE

— LOSC (@LOSC_EN) October 12, 2026

Giroud went on to play a key role in France's World Cup triumph in Russia.

He played 119 times for Chelsea, and scored 39 goals for the Blues, before spells at AC Milan, Los Angeles FC and now Lille.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta played alongside Giroud, and he was effusive in his praise of the 40-year-old.

"Every time you had him on the pitch, you had a massive threat inside the box," Arteta said of Giroud.

"He was very smart. He was so good at connecting with other players as well and his work rate was phenomenal, so certainly not [underrated] by us."