the season against Montpellier, and
if we’d won then we would have had
a good chance of sealing promotion.
We didn’t – we drew 0-0 – and a week
later they went up instead.
In my second year I finished as the
top scorer of Ligue 2, and Montpellier
signed me. Even though I’d done so
well the year before, it was still a big
step for me and I wanted to show that
I could be successful there. The first
year was for adapting, but then, in the
second, I finished as the top scorer of
Ligue 1 and we won the title against
Paris Saint-Germain in the first year of
their Qatari owners – it was crazy. The
city went mad and we had a brilliant
time. Montpellier are still quite a young
club, formed in 1974 [in their current
iteration, after a merger], so that was
their first title. It was also where I won
my first France cap, aged 25, so it was
the beginning of something special.
Montpellier chairman Louis Nicollin
famously dyed his hair orange and
blue after the title victory. In France
he was known as a character – what
was your experience of him, before
he died in 2017?
Frederic Dupont, London
[Smiles] Of course, he was an amazing
personality. La Paillade, as we call the
club [after the neighbourhood in which
Montpellier are situated], miss him so
much, as he basically brought them to
the top level. Winning the league was
so unexpected, and that made it even
more enjoyable. Louis was passionate:
sometimes he would scream at us like
kids, or say some tough words in the
press, but he also showed us so much
love. We were his children and he was
our spiritual father.
Is it true that you could have joined
Celtic or Middlesbrough in 2010?
Conor Shipman, Teesside
It is. To be honest, I just didn’t think it
was the right time to leave France after
finishing as the top scorer with Tours.
I wanted to leave my mark in Ligue 1,
which is why I signed for Montpellier.
I spoke to Nicollin as well, which had
a massive impact – he joked with me,
saying, “What are you going to do in
Scotland, playing against Kilmarnock?!”
Not in a disrespectful way, though – he
just pronounced them very badly, and
said I might lose myself there.
I thought it could have been a good
option for me, because of Celtic Park
and because I was a big fan of British
football. I was close to going there, but
I was lucky to make the right decision,
with another step in France. A couple
of years later, Arsene Wenger took me
to Arsenal and my dreams came true.
I felt blessed.
You joined Arsenal in a 2012 transfer
window that was dominated by Robin
van Persie’s eventual departure to
Manchester United. When you were
negotiating to sign, was your move
pitched to you on the basis of playing
with RVP, or acting as a replacement?
How did you feel about the pressure
of stepping into his shoes?
Eddy Hughes, via Instagram
Arsene simply said he needed another
striker at that time – I can’t remember
if he said that Van Persie was going to
leave or not, but it was kind of obvious
that he was off. He didn’t promise me
that I was going to be in the starting
line-up straightaway, because he knewI would need some time to adapt to
the Premier League. He was right, too:
I did OK in the first season, but not the
best. I got into the team quite quickly,
though. I started the first game on the
bench, but I was in after that.
I knew pretty early on that England
was going to be quite special for me.
I heard the Arsenal supporters singing
my Hey Jude song in the third game at
Liverpool and thought, ‘Wow’. I was so
grateful for it. It was a fantastic journey
in the five and a half years after that.
[FFT: Do you still find yourself singing
it in the shower?] Yes I do, a few times!
[Laughs] My friends enjoy singing that
song to me as well...It feels as if none of Arsene Wenger’s
old players really have a bad word to
say against him. How is that actually
possible as a boss?
Gregor Turner, East Fife
It’s a respect thing. I’ve read his book
and now understand quite how much
he dedicated his life to Arsenal – he
said it affected his family life, because
he worked so hard for so long, just to
find the best way to be successful with
his philosophy. He basically changed
the game. He built Arsenal in his own
way and made them ‘Invincibles’, so
you have to say ‘wow’ at everything he
achieved for the club. The end wasn’t
very nice for him, and it killed his heartYOU ASK
Clockwise from below
Nicollin inspired Giroud
to take his hair seriously;
Montpellier’s triumph in
2012 was extraordinary;
that award-winning,
semi-deliberate scorpion
kick; [Dreamy sigh]; one
of eight major trophies;
‘Best-dressed, Arsenal
Christmas Party 2016’
not being one of them8 December 2021 FourFourTwo