Olivier Giroud Opens up on his Traumatic Post-Scandal Experience

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has broken his slience over his alleged scandal with a model, apologising for what had happened and stating that he is ready to move on and make a new start.

The striker was found pictured in a hotel room with an international model, something which created a furore in the press and affected him mentally.

The striker was eventually left out of Arsenal's game against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League tie at the Emirates following the incident. However, the Frenchman came back to reclaim his place from Yaya Sanogo to score a brace and assist one in their 4-1 win over Sunderland a week later.

The striker has since carried his good form into other competitions, scoring yet another brace when coming off the bench against Everton in the quarter finals of the FA Cup. The Gunners beat the Merseyside club 4-1 and set up a date with Wigan Atheltic in the semi-finals at Wembley and have moved one step closer to vanquishing their nine season drought without a trophy.

Giroud believes that the support from the manager and the strength he has gained from what has been a traumatic experience will reflect on the field, with 10 games left till the end of the season.

The striker has scored 12 and assisted seven goals this season in the league and will need to be at his best in the upcoming fixtures for Arsenal to make any progress.

"There was some things which were true, some others were false. But that's the past. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. I'm convinced that everything happened to me will make me stronger," Giroud said.

"That's all I need to do: focus on the pitch with my club and take care of my family. It's been a difficult period. You have to be strong in your head. I used football as an outlet. The contribution of the coach Arsene Wenger was very important. I could talk with him. Now I just want to forget about it, move on to something else and make a new start," he concluded.