AC Milan striker Olivier Giroud insists he and Real Madrid ace Karim Benzema have always been on good terms.

The pair played together for France at the Euros, with Benzema now leading the attack while Giroud has not been called up since.

The Milan striker told Four Four Two: "It's the same in the national team, when people have always tried to pit me against Karim Benzema. It is frustrating because it is a media subject at the base. I have never had a problem with Karim and I enjoyed playing alongside him, we have played in the national team since 2011 even if he was no longer there afterwards.

"The media just tried to pit us against each other all the time.

"When Benzema was not in the national team, some defended him and were therefore against me. I'm just explaining this because I was playing in the same position as him, but they have to understand that it wasn't because of me that he was being left out. I felt it was a little unfair towards me. At first I was clearly annoyed, but my friends started laughing about it and I took it on the safe side.

"You can't always please everyone, so you just have to show on the pitch that you can be competitive."