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Griezmann's Atletico Madrid return happened right when Barcelona finally had room to make him their star

The time was 23:59:40. There were 20 seconds of the transfer window to go when Atletico Madrid completed the deal that brought Antoine Griezmann "home" from Barcelona, or so it goes. It was late, anyway. Too late, some said. Just in time, though LaLiga said. At 1 a.m., they released a statement insisting the deal had been registered in their system -- and, yes, it really is called LaLiga Manager -- before the deadline. There had been no extension, no holding back time. At 1:22 a.m., half an hour after confirming that Saul Niguez was going to Chelsea, Atletico finally announced the signing.