Glasgow Rangers seemingly missed a trick with their inability to land France international, Olivier Giroud, having reportedly been eyeing up a deal for the veteran marksman back in December 2019.

The suggestion at the time - according to reports in his homeland - was that Gers had made contact with the striker regarding a possible deal to prise him from Premier League side Chelsea, with manager Steven Gerrard seeking to bolster his centre-forward ranks.

While the former Liverpool skipper laughed off talk of a move, the Old Firm did seemingly hold an interest in the prolific marksman, with that failure to secure a deal having somewhat backfired as the evergreen asset has continued to thrive since then.

The one-time Montpellier man - who previously scored 105 goals in 253 games during a previous spell at Arsenal - would go on to remain at Stamford Bridge until the end of the 2020/21 campaign, having helped the Blues to a Champions League triumph after scoring six goals in the competition that season.

The clinical gem's subsequent switch to Serie A side AC Milan last year has also proven particularly fruitful, with the £74.5k-per-week maestro having netted 23 times in just 57 games since then despite his advancing years, including bagging nine goals and five assists already so far this term.

That hot streak has now continued for his country with Giroud having enjoyed a stunning start to the World Cup in Qatar, scoring three goals in his three outings at the competition thus far, including a brace during the opening game win over Poland.

The typically predatory, penalty-box poacher has led the line superbly for the holders in recent weeks, having stepped up to the mark following Karim Benzema's injury in the build-up to the tournament.

The classy and silky centre-forward was particularly impressive in the recent win over Poland in the round of 16 clash, scoring a "key" opener - in the words of CBS reporter Ben Jacobs - to set Les Bleus on their way to victory.

That strike was also particularly noteworthy as it ensured the 6 foot 4 menace now has 52 goals in 117 games for his country to date, moving him above the legendary figure of Thierry Henry on his nation's all-time scoring list.

Such an achievement is testament to a player who has regularly delivered the goods at both club level and for France over the last decade or so despite not always getting the acclaim, having been "criminally underrated", as per journalist Rahman Osman, despite his mammoth club career tally of 246 goals.

Not only a goalscorer, however, this tournament has also illustrated the beauty of Giroud's all-round game, with the elegant gem having lost possession just 3.7 times per game thus far, while also enjoying a stunning average match rating of 7.5, as per Sofascore.

These latest heroics have illustrated that even at the age of 36 the former Emirates hero is still able to perform at the highest level, with it no doubt a real source of frustration that the Light Blues were unable to snap him up just under three years ago.