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Tag: Griezmann

  • Griezmann bows out from international football

    Griezmann bows out from international football

    Antoine Griezmann, 33, has retired from international football after a distinguished career.

     A key player in France’s 2018 World Cup win, he retires as the nation’s third-most capped player with 137 appearances and fourth-highest scorer with 44 goals.

    Griezmann was man of the match in the 2018 World Cup final and the top scorer at Euro 2016, where France reached the final. Despite losing to Portugal, he won the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament. 

    Read Also: Griezmann returns to Atletico Madrid on loan

    In the 2022 World Cup, Griezmann excelled in a deeper midfield role, helping France reach the final and earning the Silver Ball as the tournament’s second-best player behind Lionel Messi. He also set a record with 84 consecutive appearances for France between 2016 and 2024.

    Griezmann’s international breakthrough came at Euro 2016, where his six goals helped France to the final. Though they lost to Portugal, he finished third in the Ballon d’Or, a feat he repeated after the 2018 World Cup. His midfield shift in 2022 played a crucial role in France’s run to the final, including two assists in the 2-1 quarter-final win over England.

    Griezmann ranks among France’s greatest players, with only Hugo Lloris and Lilian Thuram having more caps, and Olivier Giroud, Thierry Henry, and Kylian Mbappé surpassing his goal tally.

  • Griezmann: Style not important if we win

    Antoine Griezmann said he would care less about France’s style of football as long as they win the World Cup tomorrow against Croatia.

    Belgium’s Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois both criticised France’s tactics following the teams’ semifinal on Tuesday, with Hazard saying that he would “prefer to lose with Belgium than win with France.”

    When asked to respond to the Belgium players’ comments at a news conference on Friday, Griezmann interrupted the retorted: “I don’t care.”

    “Don’t even talk to me about this,” Griezmann said. “Courtois played for Atletico as well. He won trophies there and he was not playing attacking football. I don’t care what our style is. All I want is another star on the shirt. I don’t care how we get it. I want it.”

    Griezmann said after the game against Belgium, which France won 1-0, that defending and scoring from a set piece “was a bit like Atletico [Madrid].”

    He echoed those comments on Friday, recognising that there are similarities between the way the two sides approach a game.

    “The defence is the most important thing for our style,” he said. “It’s the base. It is the style we have in my club as well with Diego Simeone, so I am used to it. I know what to do — how and when to accelerate or slow down the game.”

    With a combined 10 goals in the competition, France has scored fewer times than any of the four semi-finalists — and four of those were against Argentina in the round of 16.

    Griezmann, who has scored only three goals in the World Cup thus far, said that his approach has changed since he scored six goals at Euro 2016.

    “I was the top goal scorer in 2016 and we lost, so I told myself this time that I will score less to see if we can win,” he said. “My game has changed. I’m thinking more about the team now.”

    And although a good performance in the final could earn Griezmann the Ballon d’Or at the end of the year — he said after Atletico won the Europa League that he is one of the three best players in the world — he insisted the individual honours do not matter.

    “The only thing I’m thinking about right now is the World Cup,” Griezmann said.

  • Griezmann seals Atletico Madrid’s third Europa League title

    Antoine Griezmann scored a fabulous brace as Atletico Madrid sealed their third European title in style with a 3-0 victory over Marseille.

    Griezmann opened the scoring with a fine finish when Steve Mandanda put André Zambo Anguissa under pressure with a poor pass.

    And Marseille suffered another early blow when Captain Dimitri Payet had to go off injured.

    Griezmann was in no mood to take things easy as he chipped home a delightful second just after the break.

    And it was left to the captain Gabi to crown the result when he fired in a third minutes before the end, which allowed Fernando Torres to come on as he won his first ever trophy with Atletico.

  • Messi decision sad – Griezmann

    Messi decision sad – Griezmann

    France striker, Antoine Griezmann has described Lionel Messi’s decision to retire from international football as “frustrating and sad”.
    Messi announced that Argentina’s Copa America Centenario final penalty shoot-out defeat to Chile on Sunday would be his last appearance for his country.
    The decision brings an end to a disappointing international career for Messi, whose only honour for Argentina came in the form of a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in China.
    Griezmann and Messi have been rivals at club level in recent seasons, and the Frenchman was only four goals behind the Barcelona star in La Liga’s goal table with his 22 strikes for Atletico Madrid last season.
    Of Messi’s decision, Griezmann said: “He must have his reasons. I think he lost three or four finals.
    “It’s frustrating, it’s sad. It must be difficult for him. May be it’s just an immediate reaction but after that, we must accept it.
    “He’s a great player who did everything for his country. He has not had the chance to win a cup with his country, unfortunately.”
    Griezmann helped France maintain their own challenge for silverware by scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over the Republic of Ireland at Euro 2016.
    The 25-year-old has emerged as the talisman for Didier Deschamps’ side but he insists he is not feeling the kind of pressure that Messi experienced with Argentina.
    He said: “At Atletico too, they say that I’m the leader [of the attack]. I went to the final of the Champions League, and I scored 32 goals. This pressure does not weigh too much.
    “I’m on the field to have fun and give pleasure to the fans.”

  • Griezmann: I want to be a real goalscorer

    Griezmann: I want to be a real goalscorer

    Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann says he has set his sights on developing into a regular goalscorer.

    The France international wideman grabbed his 12th league goal of the season on Saturday as Atleti hammered city rivals Real Madrid 4-0 at the Vicente Calderon, making him the club’s leading Liga scorer since joining in the summer.

    And the 23-year-old, who found the net 16 times for Real Sociedad last season, says he is looking to become even more prolific in front of goal.

    “I hope to become a real striker. I am working a lot in front of goal and I’ll try to get better every game,” he said.

    “It is true that we had a big game against Real Madrid.

    “In the first half I lost gave the ball away a few times when I didn’t have to, but I’m happy with the how we played and now we have to continue like this.”

    Coach Diego Simeone has the Frenchman operating more centrally since his arrival in Madrid, often playing off striker Mario Mandzukic.

    Atleti have won 19 of the 25 matches in which both have started, with the duo contributing 23 of their side’s 47 Liga goals so far this season.

    Saturday’s victory saw Atletico move joint-second with Barcelona – who travel to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday – and move to within four points of leaders Real.