Shortly after the World Cup in Russia, Antoine Griezmann was a world champion and being talked about in the same breath as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. In the period between that World Cup and the upcoming tournament in Qatar, it’s been a long and painful descent from the top for Griezmann.
After three seasons at Barcelona which felt like a permanent struggle, he returned to Atletico Madrid this summer with the hope of reigniting the flame. Although there were brief flickers, he finished the season without certainty over his place in the team.
He’s also gone 21 games without a goal, including international matches. Following another weak performance for France, fans began to get on his back against Croatia in a 1-1 draw.
His national manager Didier Deschamps was honest about his morale in a press conference following that match, as was reported by Sport.
“His state of mind is not the best and he isn’t going to leave it all behind him with a click of the fingers.”
“Antoine can go through a period in which things aren’t going well. Including here at the national team, where he usually has a big influence. These are difficult situations for many players.”
Griezmann technically still belongs to Barcelona and is currently midway through a two-year loan at Atleti. Los Colchoneros have an option to buy the player at the end of both seasons and although nothing has been confirmed officially, President Enrique Cerezo did state that he would be staying in Madrid next season.
Griezmann’s struggles were part of troubled season for all of Atletico Madrid. There’s little doubt though that Diego Simeone will have to work magic in order to return Griezmann to the level he was at previously, which looks ever more distant.
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