- The striker became world champion with The Blues in 2018. French coach Didier Deschamps considers him a “monument” of French football | Photo: EFE
Antoine Griezmann, Atlético de Madrid forward, announced this Monday, September 30, “with deep emotion,” his withdrawal from the French team, with which he was proclaimed world champion in Russia 2018 and with which he has played 137 games, with 44 goals and 33 assists, as communicated in his message through his official social networks.
“Today, with deep emotion, I announce my retirement as a player from the French national team. After 10 incredible years, marked by challenges, successes and unforgettable moments, it is time to turn the page and make way for the new generation,” said the 33-year-old attacker, who debuted with the senior team. bleu on March 5, 2014, under Didier Deschamps, with a 2-0 victory against the Netherlands.
“Wearing this shirt has been an honor and a privilege. From March 2014 until last September, I had the opportunity to experience incredible moments with exceptional teammates. We shared victories that will be forever engraved in our memories,” added Griezmann, who alternated as a substitute and as a starter in the last Euro Cup held in Germany, where France was eliminated in the semifinals.
Last September 9, also as a reserve, was his last international match with the French team against Belgium, in the 2-0 victory in Lyon, in which he came on in the 69th minute to replace Mattéo Guendouzi.
Grizou retired from the national team after 137 games, ranking third with the most appearances after Hugo Lloris’s 145 and Lilian Thuram’s 142.
In 10 years, he won the 2018 World Cup, the 2021 Nations League and was a finalist in the 2016 Euro Cup and the 2022 World Cup. He also managed to be called up 84 times in a row, from 2017 to the beginning of 2024, when he was dropped for an injury. No one has yet achieved a series like this.
500 games in the first division
On September 29, Griezmann reached 500 games in the Spanish first division, between Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona and Real Sociedad, with a total of 194 goals and 81 assists, since his debut in the category on August 29, 2010. in the 1-0 of the San Sebastian team against Villarreal.
That day, on the first day of the 2010-11 academic year, under the command of Martín Lasarte, he entered the field for Francisco Sutil in the 62nd minute of the match in Anoeta, already with the 1-0 in favor of the blue and white team thanks to the goal in the 57th minute by Xabi Prieto. There he began his career in the first division. His first goal was on October 25, 2010 against Deportivo de La Coruña.
By club, Griezmann played 141 games in the Spanish top category with Real Sociedad, with 41 goals and 10 assists (54 wins, 35 draws and 52 losses), between 2010 and 2014; He played 74 with Barcelona between 2019 and 2021, with 22 goals and eleven decisive passes (47 wins, 15 draws and 12 losses; and he already has 285 with Atlético de Madrid over two stages, the first from 2014 to 2019 and the second from 2021 to the present.
In the red and white team, with which he has achieved 176 victories, he has conceded 60 draws and suffered 49 defeats, he has scored 131 goals and distributed 60 assists.
Griezmann is the 14th player in the history of the competition to reach that mark of 500 games. Joaquín Sánchez and Andoni Zubizarreta are the men with the most games, both with 622. Of the footballers still active in LaLiga, the most is Jesús Navas, from Sevilla, with 507.
In addition to those three players, they are also ahead of Griezmann in games played in the First Division: Raúl García (609), Raúl González (550), Eusebio Sacristán (543), Paco Buyo (542), Sergio Ramos (536), Manolo Sanchís (523), Lionel Messi (520), Iker Casillas (510), Xavi Hernández (505) and Miquel Soler (504).
A “monument” of French football
Didier Deschamps, current French coach who gave Antoine Griezmann his debut in 2014, considered this Monday, September 30, that the Atlético de Madrid player, who has just announced his retirement with The Bluesis “a monument of French football.”
Although his career at the club is not yet over, Antoine has been and will be a monument of French football, one of the greatest players in its history. Apart from the 44 goals and 30 assists, I am left with the involvement he has had in the results we have achieved in the last decade,” Deschamps said in a statement.
Griezmann’s departure also means a change of era in Deschamps’ team, after the international withdrawal of Lloris, Olivier Giroud, Raphäel Varane and the harsh doping sanction that weighs on Paul Pogba. All of them, along with Kylian Mbappé (now captain), were the backbone of the world victory in 2018.
Grizou He was the best assistant in the history of the French team, with 30 assists on goals, and the fourth best scorer in The Blueswith 44 goals, leaving behind Kylian Mbappé (48), Thierry Henry (51) and Olivier Giroud (57).
According to The TeamGriezmann was already contemplating his withdrawal from the national team at least since the defeat in the last Euro 2024 in Germany in the semifinals against Spain – a tournament in which his status as a starter was called into question. He matured the decision after asking advice from his two confidants: his sister and his wife.
The newspaper recalls that one of the first factors that pushed him to leave the France jersey was that, after Lloris retired in 2023, the captain’s armband was worn by Kylian Mbappé and not him, who remained as vice-captain, despite have more international experience than the Real Madrid forward.
With information from EFE
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2024-09-30 21:03:24
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