After ten years of good and loyal service, Antoine Griezmann has decided to hang up his tricolor crampons. At 33 years old. Launched into the deep end in March 2014 against the Netherlands, the versatile striker who then played in the ranks of Real Sociedad laid the first stone of a building of 137 caps, for 44 goals scored and 30 assists. He appeared one last time in blue against Belgium, on September 9, for just 18 minutes.
“ It is with deep emotion that I announce my retirement as a player for the France team. After ten incredible years, marked by challenges, successes and unforgettable moments, it is time for me to turn a page and make way for the new generation. Wearing this jersey was an honor and a privilege », wrote this Monday as a farewell on social networks the 2018 world champion. One of the iconic players of the Didier Deschamps era.
The poorly digested episode of the cuff
Why such a decision? Brutal in appearance, the latter will nevertheless have been carefully considered. From March 2023 and the choice by the coach to entrust the captaincy until then reserved to Hugo Lloris to Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann had to take it upon himself to put on a good show, a little upset by this arbitration by Didier Deschamps. A feeling of downgrading which only grew during Euro 2024, where the person concerned was the first executive to pay the price, left on the bench against Poland in the group and against Spain in the half.
“ Coming out of Euro 2024 where he saw his status shaken up, he began to question himself. He wondered if he still wanted to come back during international sequences, restart the machine and plan for a new competition without knowing if he still enjoyed the same consideration from the coach », Underlines L’Equipe journalist Damien Degorre this Monday. The September gathering finally confirmed this idea.
A less friendly tricolor framework
Starting against Italy, Matelassier was initially not supposed to be – and it was on the bench that he started the second match of this international break against Belgium. Off the field, Antoine Griezmann has seen his closest partners evaporate over the months: Paul Pogba, Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud. Anything but trivial for a player who functions above all on affect.
After making his decision and sharing it with his wife and sister in recent days, the best passer in the history of the French team – also a record holder for the number of consecutive capes worn (84, between August 2017 and November 2023) – chose to make the news official a few days before the October rally and the upcoming Nations League matches against Israel and the Belgian Red Devils. Not without having informed Didier Deschamps beforehand.
