Just 11 minutes into their first game back in Europe, and a Premier League cult hero found themselves on the scoresheet.
Some of the greatest of the Premier League have had spells in Ligue 1 in the past, either before or after their time in England.
David Beckham’s final team of his career was Paris Saint-Germain and Eden Hazard made his name at Lille before a transfer to Chelsea in 2012.
The same can be said for Jay-Jay Okocha, who played for PSG, and William Saliba, who had spells at Saint-Étienne and Marseille.
Ligue 1 and the Premier League have always had a connection, even before England’s top flight was known as the Premier League.
Glenn Hoddle, Chris Waddle and Ray Wilkins all had spells in France during their careers.
Another Premier League great, has made the switch back to France, after leaving the country to play in England. They have made an immediate impact.
Premier League cult hero scores in first game back in Europe
After a spell in Major League Soccer, former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud secured a move back to Lille this summer.
He became a cult hero in the Premier League after moving from Ligue 1 side Montpellier, who he helped win the league title in his final season as the competition’s top scorer.
During his time in England, he recorded 73 goals in 180 games for Arsenal before an additional 17 in 75 for Chelsea.
Giroud scored one of the best goals in recent Premier League history, with an audacious scorpion kick on New Years Day back in 2017. This goal earned him the FIFA Puskás award.
He went on to move to Chelsea in January 2018 and in the next season, he would score 11 goals in 14 UEFA Europa League games.
This set a record for most goals in a European campaign for any French player.
This includes a goal in the final against Arsenal as they ended up 4-1 winners in Baku.
Giroud would also have success for his national team, becoming a cult hero as they won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
During this tournament success, Giroud failed to register a shot on target despite playing all seceb games.
Despite this, he became a crucial part of their attack, allowing the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé to produce more attacking output.
In his league debut for Lille, Giroud did not take long to get back on the scoresheet.
After a deadly ball from Félix Correia, hit a first-time effort past Brest goalkeeper Radosław Majecki to announce himself back in Ligue 1.
I am not crying, you are crying 😍🥹 pic.twitter.com/XL8FzWRP8F
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 17, 2025
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