Olivier Giroud has the chance to cement his legacy as the most underrated striker of his generation by firing France to a second successive World Cup.
The ex-Chelsea and Arsenal striker is proving age is just a number as the figurehead of a Les Blues attack that has reached the final in Qatar.
The 36-year-old is leading the line for France at the World Cup where he became his nation’s record goal scorer with 53 goals.
In the Middle East, Giroud has scored four goals in five games, just one behind teammate Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race.
The pair have proved a match made in heaven at the World Cup, with a picture of their passionate embrace following a last-16 win over Poland going viral.
And it's a stunning turnaround considering just over a year ago the duo were at each other's throats in a very different fashion.
After scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Bulgaria on the eve of Euro 2020, Giroud aimed a thinly-veiled dig at Mbappe by expressing his disappointment at not receiving enough passes from his teammates.
Mbappe soon replied, admitting he would have preferred it if Giroud had kept his thoughts in-house as opposed to speaking to the media.
"Everyone knows what happened," Mbappe told L'Equipe. "It is true that I was a little affected by it.
"It is more that he said it publicly than the fact that he said it. I saw him in the dressing room and he didn't say anything to me. But we are not going to make a big deal about it."
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Giroud and Mbappe's form together this World Cup however has proven water has been firmly put under the bridge.
Giroud's fourth of the tournament was the goal that broke England hearts and it emerged that his manager, Didier Deschamps, was actually seconds away from replacing the AC Milan star.
But even harder to believe than that is coming into the World Cup that he was firmly behind Karim Benzema in the pecking order.
Giroud was second-fiddle behind the reigning Ballon d'Or holder, and the options of bringing on the much younger forward pair Randal Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram meant he would have been scrapping for minutes the whole time.
Yet Benzema was ruled out through injury on the eve of the tournament in Doha, and Mbappe's preference to playing on the left opened the door for Giroud to return.
And the latter has ensured France haven't missed Benzema - which will be all the sweeter considering their history together.
Speaking on social media in 2020, Real Madrid star Benzema was asked how he rated fellow centre-forward Giroud.
He said: “This won’t take long. You don’t confuse F1 with go-karting. And I’m being kind. Next… and I know I’m F1.”
Giroud expertly responded to that criticism saying: "What am I, a go-kart?’ A world champion go-kart.”
It was partly this humour that made the World Cup winner such a cult figure in London despite playing for both Arsenal and Chelsea.
And it was during his time at the Gunners, when Giroud's trademark wit first became noticed by fans as he called out UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
The forward was quizzed by compatriot Laurent Koscielny on how long he would last in a fight with the then-featherweight champion.
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Giroud jokingly responded: “Maybe 10 seconds?
“I have never been in a cage fighting UFC. It would be nice to try. So, McGregor, when you want?... OK, I’m dead.”
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