Antoine Griezmann: French Quality on the Attack

A skilled player with the determination to win, Griezmann is one of the most renowned soccer players in the world. Let's look at some of the achievements during his marvelous career.

The French forward Antoine Griezmann is currently one of the best forwards in the world. Even though he hasn’t yet reached 30 years of age, he’s been a world champion ever since joining the French selection. Even so, he has many other objectives yet to meet…

One of those goals for this fantastic goalie is the UEFA Champions League. He played in two finals with the team Atlético de Madrid but didn’t win either game against Real Madrid. The first of those games was in 2014 with a final score of 1-4, and the other in 2016 with a score of 5-3 in favor of Real Madrid.

That said, his recent transfer to FC Barcelona, where he’ll share the forward position with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, could bring him a new opportunity to win the biggest continental tournament. Let’s look at which factors may help Griezzmann complete his mission, and how he arrived at the position of privilege he finds himself in today.

History of Antoine Griezmann

He made his first steps in soccer in Macon, where he’s from. The mix of nationalities in his family tree partly explains his culture: his father is German, while his maternal grandparents are Portuguese.

Griezmann often drinks mate – a common infusion in Argentina and Uruguay – and more than once has shown interest in that continent and the soccer played there.

His move to the Real Sociedad, the first professional institution he joined, was at the age of 13. That’s when a scout for the Basque club in France saw him and decided to recruit him.

His anticipated debut took place in September of 2009 after an impressive pre-season. Since then, he hasn’t stopped developing; he was sold to Atlético de Madrid in July of 2014 for 30 million euros. After, in 2019, he would go to Barcelona for 120 million.

Antoine Griezmann: a technical and effective forward

The most notable characteristic of Antoine Griezmann is the quality and effectiveness of his left foot. The French player is capable of very subtle movements as well as powerful kicks from far away in the same game. Whatever the opportunity, he has a move for it.

Even though he’s not a very tall man, he has a great goal scoring record. During his time with Atlético de Madrid (2014-2019), he was responsible for 131 goals in 257 games, giving him an average of 0.44. In the selection, his record was similar: 0.40 per game.

Additionally, on more than one occasion he’s surprised fans with scissor kicks that an acrobat might do to score goals. This makes his skill as a soccer player clear. The confidence he possesses in himself and his instincts as a player lead him to score many points against his opponents.

Antoine Griezmann’s titles

In spite of his “debt” with the UEFA Champions League, this is no doubt an extremely successful player. Griezmann’s presence has made his teams very strong on offense. Here’s an explanation of his accomplishments as a soccer player that include the following titles:

• Second Division Championship with the Real Sociedad in 2009-2010.
• Super Cup of Spain with Atlético de Madrid, in 2009; Griezzmann arrived to the club after his stint with the Leauge with the player Diego Simeone.
• UEFA Europe League in 2018.
• Super Cup of Europe in 2018.
• With the French selection, the European Under-19 Championship in 2010 and the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

The World Cup, the maximum recognition

The World Cup is obviously an achievement that deserves a paragraph in the career of any soccer player. Antoine Griezmann was a fundamental part of the French team that shone in Russia. He played impressively along with Olivier Giroud.

During the competition, Griezmann led play in all of the games and scored four goals. As a result of these great plays, the French forward was selected three times as the player of the game. These were in the games against Australia, Uruguay, and in no less than the final game against Croatia where he scored a penalty goal.

In conclusion, this is a very capable forward who accomplishes with gusto all the functions that correspond to his position: he scores, assists, plans, pressures, and collaborates. Antoine Griezmann is undoubtedly someone that anyone would want on their team, and he’s still got a lot to give.