Antoine Griezmann’s (33) international retirement comes as no surprise to a former French World Cup champion
Emmanuel Petit scored the last goal in the final of France 98, helping Les Bleus win the World Cup on home soil.
The former Arsenal and AS Monaco midfielder said he was not surprised to hear about Grezimann’s international retirement, stating that he believes the Atletico Madrid forward was struggling to show his best at the 2024 European Championships in Germany.
Speaking to Get French Football News, Petit paid tribute to his compatriot. “I just want to thank Antoine for everything he’s done for the national team, I think he will be remembered as one of the best ever players in French history, he has achieved so much, so thank you very much, Antoine, and it was great to see you wear the French shirt,” Petit said.
Grizou scored 44 goals with Les Bleus in 137 appearances, winning the Golden Boot at Euro 2016 with six goals while netting another four at the World Cup two years later.
The man born in Mâcon, who has never played club football in France, was named Man of the Match in the 2018 World Cup final when France defeated Croatia 4-2.
Petit believes that not having Griezmann will present a significant challenge for French manager Didier Deschamps in the future.
Petit outlines fear for post-Griezmann France set-up
“Antoine was a part of the group because he was probably the only one to bring what he could bring on the pitch, and it will be difficult for Deschamps to replace him because of all his talents and his personality as well in the team, so I wish the best of luck for Deschamps to find a solution, but he will a big miss for the national team.”
Over his career, Griezmann featured in three World Cups for France and was the Player of the Tournament for Les Bleus in 2016 when they finished as runners-up on home soil.
Internationally, he’s claimed a Nations League crown and two World Cup medals and was a part of the French side that won the Under-19 European Championship in 2010.
According to Petit, Griezmann’s attacking qualities and creativity will be sorely missed. “I’m just worried because we need to improve more collectively with the ball instead of trying to gamble on individuals all the time, I think this is the main gap between what we’ve seen so far and what Deschamps wants to bring on the pitch, especially now that Griezmann is not on the team,” he tells us.
On October 3rd, Deschamps will name his squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures, which will not feature Griezmann. France will face Israel in Budapest on October 10th before travelling to Brussels for a date with Belgium four days later.
Emmanuel Petit was speaking to Get French Football News on behalf of BetBrain.
