News
Transfers

Antoine Griezmann: The Frenchman who shines brightest at major tournaments

Antoine Griezmann: The Frenchman who shines brightest at major tournaments

Share

Over the last decade, France have never been strangers to coming up with big performances during international competitions. The same, in many ways, applies to Antoine Griezmann and he now has another chance to silently shine at the highest level of the sport.

By Kaustubh Pandey

Griezmann is arguably one of the greatest players of his generation and if not for the duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the Frenchman would’ve been considered a modern-day great more often in mainstream conversations about the game. Him being underrated isn’t just down to the Messi-Ronaldo dominance, as the Atlético Madrid man has consistently gone about his business in quiet fashion while always being a crucial cog in the wheel for club and country.

In the 2023/24 campaign, Griezmann was a vital engine for Diego Simeone. He contributed to over 20 goals in LaLiga, scoring 16 times and played either upfront or as a withdrawn forward and number ten.

Seeing him contribute to goals in those kind of numbers in every season isn’t strange anymore. He has become a hallmark of consistency for Atlético and while he has often been derided for his time at Barcelona, Griezmann was hugely impactful at the Catalan side despite some obvious tactical issues at the club at that point.

Him being a regular amongst the goals and assists is a regular occurence and the last time he didn’t contribute to over ten goals in LaLiga was back in the 2015/16 season. Since then, he has donned a leading role for the Rojiblancos and he has done that under Simeone, whose system has often been accused of ‘stifling’ the growth of creative players.

In a parallel universe, the Burgundian racks up even better numbers under a manager who prefers a more attacking system but Griezmann hasn’t just become a faithful guard, but has also become a much more flexible and malleable player because of Simeone. The Argentine is generally a fan of players who offer versatility and adaptability and Griezmann has developed into just that.

In a way, the 2022 World Cup was the perfect representation of what Griezmann embodies. The Atleti man was deployed in a much deeper role in midfield by manager Didier Deschamps and it was a fresh break from how he was used further forward during the previous major international tournaments. Despite that, he thrived and was almost operating as a box-to-box midfielder, while also becoming a creative force.

He created as many big chances as Lionel Messi during the tournament and created more chances in general than the would-be World Cup winner and he was 11 clear of third-placed Ousmane Dembélé.

He didn’t have too many shots on goal during the tournament but that is only natural because he was playing further away from goal than usual. But he still made a huge mark for Les Bleus and even though it was Kylian Mbappé who took away all the limelight after his hat-trick against Argentina in the final, France may not have reached that far without Griezmann.

Even during the last European Championships, played in 2021, Griezmann was a creative force for Deschamps’ side. He did play in an advanced role in that tournament but France couldn’t make it beyond the Round of 16, as they lost to Switzerland.

Despite that, the Atleti man created only four less chances than the tournament’s top creator Marco Verratti, who played the final at Wembley. That, in a way, speaks volumes for how effective Griezmann is for his side creatively.

Griezmann hasn’t scored for his country in the last six games and has only two assists, but he comes alive during the international tournaments. It remains to be seen if Deschamps does drop him deeper in the heart of the park but he could, considering how highly the France manager speaks of the player.

During the 2022 World Cup, Deschamps said: “I ask different things of him. There is no sacrifice on his part, because he is so generous that he takes pleasure both when he touches the ball and when he passes.

“He will certainly score fewer goals, but he loves to tackle and recover the ball. With his left foot, he is capable of beautiful things and can shoot the set-pieces rather well. He has everything to play deeper: the vision, the work-rate, the touch, the energy, the intelligence.”

All of these qualities shine at the brightest of stages too and that is the reason why Griezmann is one of the best creators in international tournaments in recent years, and yet he is also the third-highest goalscorer in the history of the Euros. He is only behind countryman Michel Platini and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

In fact, if he scores two or more goals in the competition, he would become the second-highest goalscorer in the history of the Euros. Nothing would be more fitting of Griezmann’s legacy in the game than him taking over that mantle and even if he doesn’t go onto break Ronaldo’s record, it would establish him as one of the greatest in his country’s entire history. And he would go past Platini, who himself is an icon for Les Bleus.

More than that, Griezmann was France’s and the tournament’s top scorer in the 2016 edition of the tournament and the loss to Portugal in the final was disastrous, considering how Ronaldo had gone off early in the tie. Winning the tournament and putting in another masterclass in 2024 would be a story that Griezmann would definitely want to chart and it would be the completion of a tale that he deserves to cherish. It would be something that his career deserves.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Antoine Griezmann: The Frenchman who shines brightest at major tournaments

Over the last decade, France have never been strangers to coming up with big performances during international competitions. The same, in many ways, applies to Antoine Griezmann and he now has another chance to silently shine at the highest level of the sport.

By Kaustubh Pandey

Griezmann is arguably one of the greatest players of his generation and if not for the duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the Frenchman would’ve been considered a modern-day great more often in mainstream conversations about the game. Him being underrated isn’t just down to the Messi-Ronaldo dominance, as the Atlético Madrid man has consistently gone about his business in quiet fashion while always being a crucial cog in the wheel for club and country.

In the 2023/24 campaign, Griezmann was a vital engine for Diego Simeone. He contributed to over 20 goals in LaLiga, scoring 16 times and played either upfront or as a withdrawn forward and number ten.

Seeing him contribute to goals in those kind of numbers in every season isn’t strange anymore. He has become a hallmark of consistency for Atlético and while he has often been derided for his time at Barcelona, Griezmann was hugely impactful at the Catalan side despite some obvious tactical issues at the club at that point.

Him being a regular amongst the goals and assists is a regular occurence and the last time he didn’t contribute to over ten goals in LaLiga was back in the 2015/16 season. Since then, he has donned a leading role for the Rojiblancos and he has done that under Simeone, whose system has often been accused of ‘stifling’ the growth of creative players.

In a parallel universe, the Burgundian racks up even better numbers under a manager who prefers a more attacking system but Griezmann hasn’t just become a faithful guard, but has also become a much more flexible and malleable player because of Simeone. The Argentine is generally a fan of players who offer versatility and adaptability and Griezmann has developed into just that.

In a way, the 2022 World Cup was the perfect representation of what Griezmann embodies. The Atleti man was deployed in a much deeper role in midfield by manager Didier Deschamps and it was a fresh break from how he was used further forward during the previous major international tournaments. Despite that, he thrived and was almost operating as a box-to-box midfielder, while also becoming a creative force.

He created as many big chances as Lionel Messi during the tournament and created more chances in general than the would-be World Cup winner and he was 11 clear of third-placed Ousmane Dembélé.

He didn’t have too many shots on goal during the tournament but that is only natural because he was playing further away from goal than usual. But he still made a huge mark for Les Bleus and even though it was Kylian Mbappé who took away all the limelight after his hat-trick against Argentina in the final, France may not have reached that far without Griezmann.

Even during the last European Championships, played in 2021, Griezmann was a creative force for Deschamps’ side. He did play in an advanced role in that tournament but France couldn’t make it beyond the Round of 16, as they lost to Switzerland.

Despite that, the Atleti man created only four less chances than the tournament’s top creator Marco Verratti, who played the final at Wembley. That, in a way, speaks volumes for how effective Griezmann is for his side creatively.

Griezmann hasn’t scored for his country in the last six games and has only two assists, but he comes alive during the international tournaments. It remains to be seen if Deschamps does drop him deeper in the heart of the park but he could, considering how highly the France manager speaks of the player.

During the 2022 World Cup, Deschamps said: “I ask different things of him. There is no sacrifice on his part, because he is so generous that he takes pleasure both when he touches the ball and when he passes.

“He will certainly score fewer goals, but he loves to tackle and recover the ball. With his left foot, he is capable of beautiful things and can shoot the set-pieces rather well. He has everything to play deeper: the vision, the work-rate, the touch, the energy, the intelligence.”

All of these qualities shine at the brightest of stages too and that is the reason why Griezmann is one of the best creators in international tournaments in recent years, and yet he is also the third-highest goalscorer in the history of the Euros. He is only behind countryman Michel Platini and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

In fact, if he scores two or more goals in the competition, he would become the second-highest goalscorer in the history of the Euros. Nothing would be more fitting of Griezmann’s legacy in the game than him taking over that mantle and even if he doesn’t go onto break Ronaldo’s record, it would establish him as one of the greatest in his country’s entire history. And he would go past Platini, who himself is an icon for Les Bleus.

More than that, Griezmann was France’s and the tournament’s top scorer in the 2016 edition of the tournament and the loss to Portugal in the final was disastrous, considering how Ronaldo had gone off early in the tie. Winning the tournament and putting in another masterclass in 2024 would be a story that Griezmann would definitely want to chart and it would be the completion of a tale that he deserves to cherish. It would be something that his career deserves.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.