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Olivier Giroud knows what it takes to win a World Cup. Earlier this week, the French striker who lifted the trophy in 2018 showered praise on U.S. men's national team standout Christian Pulisic following the winger's impressive display in the tournament opener, a 4–1 victory over Paraguay.
Giroud, France's record goalscorer and current World Cup pundit, drew a comparison between Pulisic and Eden Hazard, complimenting two of his former Chelsea teammates from his time in the English Premier League.
"Christian reminded me of Eden Hazard, with the way he took on opponents and found it easy to dribble past people," Giroud said on BBC Sport.
"I played as a target man, and I needed some pace and movement around me, someone like [Pulisic] playing in the pocket between the lines and getting on the ball, looking for me and feeding off my flick-ons."
While the Hazard comparison is flattering, it may carry an ominous undertone for the USMNT's hopes of claiming the World Cup on home turf this summer. Hazard's celebrated Belgian "Golden Generation" never managed to reach the pinnacle, with their best result being a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup in Russia — the same tournament where Giroud claimed his title.
Pulisic Shines at the World Cup
Pulisic endured a difficult second half of the 2025-26 campaign with AC Milan, but has hit the ground running at his second World Cup. Facing Paraguay, he helped create the opening own goal before providing an assist on one of Folarin Balogun's strikes.
That outing brought the 27-year-old to four World Cup goal contributions — one goal and three assists — leaving him just behind the iconic Landon Donovan's record of five for the USMNT since 1966.
"I was not surprised at how well he played against Paraguay because I think that he has got what it takes to take the U.S. team to the next level over the next few weeks," Giroud said. "I have always thought the U.S. are lucky to have him, because he has skill and intelligence."
"No one is expecting the U.S. to win this World Cup, but if they are going to reach the knockout stage, he will be key."
With Pulisic spearheading the attack, the USMNT returns to Group D competition on Friday in Seattle, looking to assert dominance in the group against Australia, after the Socceroos pulled off a 2–0 upset against Türkiye in their opening fixture.