"I learned that little by little, with a lot of hard work and determination, you could reach all your goals," Olivier Giroud told ESPN.
"When I was in the French third division [at Istres in 2007], I set myself the goal of playing in the second division. When I was in the second division [at Tours in 2008], my aim became to play in the top flight.
"Once I got there, with Montpellier in 2010, and achieved what looked impossible with the league title in 2012, it was to go and play in England because that was the dream I had as a kid. Then it was to be a regular for France; then, to win trophies with France.
"Then, when I got to 70 caps, my objective became the 100-cap mark. I made my debut with the national team at 25, and it has been the thread through my career ever since."
Last season, Giroud proved his incredible ability to take his chances. The Frenchman started the season as Chelsea's third-choice striker. A true professional, the 34-year-old never complained and kept working hard and finished the campaign as a starter.
After the restart of the season, Giroud took part in 12 of Chelsea's 13 games across all competitions, started 9 of them and scored 7 goals. As a result, the Blues, who were eager to part ways with the veteran last January, offered him a new one-year contract instead.
This season, Giroud has played 3 games - 111 minutes - for Chelsea so far, scoring one goal.
