World Cup 2022: when Olivier Giroud and Walid Regragui played together in Grenoble

To say that these two know each other inside out is, of course, an overstatement. However, Olivier Giroud and Moroccan coach Walid Regragui have come a long way together in their careers. The tricolor striker and former right winger, who will meet on Wednesday during this surprise World Cup semi-final between France and Morocco, wore the same jersey in Grenoble for several weeks in 2008.

Giroud returned to Isère that summer after a convincing loan spell at Istres at the National, where he scored 14 goals in 33 games. The future leading scorer in the history of Les Bleus is engaged in pre-season training with GF38, along with one Walid Regragui, at that time a Moroccan international. The two men will even play half time together in a friendly in Raon-l’Etap (Vosges) against Strasbourg. But just a few days later, Olivier Giroud moved to the Tour, who in Grenoble offered 150,000 euros for the signing of a centre-forward.

Regragi hangs up when Giroux hatches

The French striker therefore left Isère for good while Regragui made 19 Ligue 1 appearances in a Grenoble shirt in the 2008-2009 season before hanging his crampons. The complete opposite of Giroud at the dawn of his flourishing career (22 years old). The two players will no longer have the opportunity to meet again as Walid Regragui will take over as coach three years later. First as an assistant to Rashid Taussi in the Moroccan selection, then as number 1 in FUS Rabat, one of the biggest clubs in the Sheriff Kingdom, between 2014 and 2020.

A journey that will then take him to the head of the Lions of Atlas for the success we know. On Saturday, his team accomplished the greatest sporting feat in Moroccan history by becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. Facing France on Wednesday, Walid Regraga’s men will have to climb another mountain, those who have already consistently bypassed Spain and then Portugal. They will rely in particular on this almost impenetrable defense (only one goal conceded), which Olivier Giroud will still try to destroy.