Olivier Giroud says that Thierry Henry messages him every time he scores a goal, as the AC Milan striker looks set to overtake the France legend as the country's record goal-scorer.
The French striker scored his 51st goal for the national team in their Group C opener against Australia, putting him level with Thierry Henry as France's top goal-scorer in their history.
However, the 36-year-old has said there is no animosity between him and Henry, and in fact the French icon is a big supporter of Giroud and sends him a message after every goal, as he gets closer to overtaking the historic record.
When asked if Henry has messaged him after scoring his record-equalling goal, Giroud told Telefoot: 'A message from Thierry Henry? He has a habit, each time I score, of sending me a nice little message to congratulate me. It's always a pleasure coming from him.'
Competition was fierce for Giroud heading into the finals in Qatar, however, the late withdrawals of both Christopher Nkunku and Karim Benzema through injury means there has been more opportunity for the former Arsenal and Chelsea man.
He has been the focal point of France's attack in the wins over Australia and Denmark, with coach Didier Deschamps playing Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele off the front man.
The two wins in Group C means France are the first side to qualify for the knockout stages in Qatar, which could prompt Deschamps to rotate his squad for their final group game with Tunisia - meaning Giroud may have to wait to score his record-breaking goal.
Before the victory against Denmark, Graeme Souness criticised Giroud, describing his goal-scoring record as 'lucky' thanks to Benzema's exile from the national team from 2015 to 2021.
The ITV pundit stated: I'm not his biggest fan. Seven games in the last World Cup in the team that wins it and he never had a shot on target. When you talk about mentioning him in the same breath as Thierry Henry - sorry!
'I would say his record is there for one reason: Benzema being out for such a long time because of all the controversy he's involved with. Benzema, the current Ballon d'Or holder, will be missed in this French team this competition. Benzema is completely on another level.'
Despite Souness' claims, his 51 goals have come in 115 games for France, eight games less than it took Henry to hit that same total, and was part of the World Cup winning squad four years ago in Russia.
Giroud made his international debut in November 2011 against the USA and opened his account for France in a 2-1 win over Germany in February 2012.