Antoine Griezmann has announced his retirement from international football, ending a 10-year career with France that began in 2014.
The 33-year-old played 137 times for his country. He played a pivotal role in his country’s World Cup triumph in 2018, taking the Bronze Ball as the tournament’s third-best player and the Silver Boot as its second-top scorer.
Griezmann had earlier been the top scorer and best player at Euro 2016 as France reached the final but lost out to Portugal, while he also played in the 2022 World Cup final and won the 2020/21 edition of the UEFA Nations League with Les Bleus.
“It’s with a heart full of memories that I close this chapter of my life. Thank you for this wonderful tricolor adventure and see you soon,” the Atletico Madrid legend posted on Instagram.
Griezmann’s 137 caps put him joint third on France’s all-time appearance list, level with Olivier Giroud who also hung up his international boots this year. Only Lilian Thuram (142) and Hugo Lloris (145) have played more often for the national team.
Griezmann also scored 44 goals during those international outings, placing him fourth on the all-time list, ahead of Michel Platini (41) and behind Kylian Mbappe (48), Thierry Henry (51) and Giroud (57).
Although born in Macon in east central France, Griezmann moved to Spain at the age of 14 to sign with Real Sociedad and went under the radar at junior international level.
His first appearance for France wasn’t until the Under-19 age category, while his senior debut didn’t come until 16 days before his 23rd birthday a few months out from the 2014 World Cup.
Griezmann’’s final game came as a late substitute in last month’s Nations League win over Belgium. Euro 2024 during the summer was his sixth and final major international tournament.
