Few players have given so much to Atletico Madrid as Antoine Griezmann, who despite his ill-fortune when it comes to missing both of their Liga titles under Diego Simeone, is the top scorer in the club’s history. After a summer in which he did not have the Euro 2024 with France many expected, Thierry Henry has explained that Griezmann is far from done yet.
Griezmann lost his starting place for France at the Euros, and only featured for 11 minutes in their clash against Belgium. Diego Simeone also has an array of attacking talent to work with, including new signings Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez. Speaking to Into the Calderon (full interview), Henry said he did not have a clear idea of how he would set them up.
“I will let Diego Simeone deal with (the new additions). He knows what he has to do with those players. … It’s on Diego Simeone to find a way to make them all work together and play together.”
The French legend went on to point out that Griezmann has a lot of miles in his legs too, after a long career. On top of his club duties, Griezmann has 137 caps for Les Bleus, the fourth-most in history. He is also only eight behind record-holder Hugo Lloris.
“Griezmann is not a normal 33. He’s played every single game since he was 19, every one of them. And the way Atletico Madrid (play), it’s pretty demanding on how you should play and how (Simeone) is asking you to play, week in and week out.”
🇫🇷✨ Thierry Henry: “What Griezmann has done in the game cannot be challenged.
What he has done for France, what he has done for Atlético Madrid, we all know he went to Barcelona, it didn’t work out and he came back…
What he has done in the game is more than amazing.
He is… pic.twitter.com/cKKj9CkXxc
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) September 11, 2024
However he believes the French playmaker will work out a way to be effective and dangerous, even if he is covering less ground.
“Griezmann played as a lone striker at one point. Then, he played behind Diego Costa. Then he played on the right, then he played on the left, then he played behind a striker. What this tells you about Griezmann is that he can play anywhere, and he can adapt. For me, he is still an important player.”
So far Simeone has shown little sign of trying to ease Griezmann out, even if the 33-year-old may have to be dosed a little more. He played almost all of Atletico’s games last season until the spring, and they suffered greatly when he injured his ankle. With more options up front, Simeone should be able to rotate him a little more often and have the best Griezmann when it matters.
