Antoine Griezmann (33) is one of the few prominent French footballers who has never played for a senior club side in France, despite the best efforts of Paris Saint-Germain.
The reigning Ligue 1 champions tried to recruit the Atlético Madrid attacker on a couple of occasions without success because of unforeseen circumstances.
Following the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimović (43) in 2016, PSG were looking to bring in another quality player to join Angel Di Maria (36) and Edison Cavani (37), with Grizou being a highly sought-after player.
The native of Mâcon didn’t fit the same profile as Zlatan, but he did possess the versatility to adapt to various positions at Atlético and the French national team.
By the spring of 2016, Griezmann was a formidable part of Diego Simeone’s setup, with the Frenchman sometimes operating as a central striker, at times featuring on the wing or playing in behind a lone forward.
He could score goals, create them, and facilitate a play just about as well as anyone in Europe at that time, helping lead his club side to the UEFA Champions League final in 2015-16 and winning the Golden Boot at Euro 2016 when France were runners-up.
His versatility caught the attention of Olivier Létang, the PSG sporting director at that time, who thought he’d fit in nicely with the setup in the French capital.
Things were lining up for Griezmann to play in Ligue 1 for the first time.
However, Financial Fair Play (FFP) got in the way. PSG had only recently been released from their FFP penalties, which limited them to €60m for the acquisition of players.
Griezmann was still under contract with Atlético and had a release clause of €80m. Hence, a move to PSG fell through, and the Frenchman extended his contract in Madrid.
Four years later, the door was open for Les Parisiens to sign the 2018 World Cup champion during his not-so-pleasant spell at Barcelona. In 2020, Griezmann seemed like he needed a new home, with Leonardo being the PSG sporting director at the time.
The Brazilian was a great admirer of his work, having seen him in his early days in senior club football at Real Sociedad. Neymar appeared to be on his way out and wanted to leave Paris for a return to Barça, leaving the door open for Griezmann to fill that void.
The Catalan club did not have the financial means to ensure Neymar could return and play for them, so his massive salary remained on the books of Les Parisiens.
Eventually, Griezmann returned to Atlético in 2021, the same year he became the club’s all-time top goalscorer, an honour he still has to this day.
On Wednesday, he visited the Parc des Princes when Atlético took on PSG in Champions League action. The La Liga side won 2-1.
Griezmann has said that Atlético will be the final club he plays for in Europe, with widespread speculation he may join his former teammates with Les Bleus Olivier Giroud (38) and Hugo Lloris (37) at Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer.
On September 30, Griezmann officially retired from international football, having been the top assist provider in the previous two World Cups.
C’est avec le cœur plein de souvenirs que je clos ce chapitre de ma vie. Merci pour cette magnifique aventure tricolore et à bientôt. 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/qpw8dvdtFt
— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) September 30, 2024
