Antoine Griezmann has broken the silence. This Thursday, the Frenchman spoke at length during an interview with A.S.. The opportunity to look back on the quest for his 200th goal with the Colchoneros. “I wasn’t overwhelmed, but it’s true that it seemed like a long time. Especially last year, at the end of the season, when I wasn’t focused on this goal (…) Because of everything that happened in March, and my absence from almost all competitions, it was very hard mentally. But when I reached the 200 goal mark and got closer to it, the goals ended up coming one after the other.” The striker admitted to having been mentally affected by this period. “Yes of course. I had so much hope, so many dreams, and March was not good for anyone. We lost La Liga and the Champions League. My morale dropped, it affected me a lot mentally, and it had an impact on my game afterwards.
But the native of Mâcon has regained his strength. “In the end, we always want to play. But I understand that I have to be professional, set an example for all my teammates and prove to the coach that I am still ready to play, that I have everything it takes to earn my place in the starting lineup. I want to play. I’m very happy here in Madrid, playing for Atlético, and I think that’s showing this season.” He therefore does not regret having extended his contract until June 2027 a few months ago. Grizi revealed the reasons for his decision. “Because I want more. I still have many minutes to play, the energy and the mentality to play and become an important player within the club. I know I have to prove it to everyone, and I want to assert myself even more. As for legendary status, we’ll see in a few years.”
Griezmann discusses his future
Despite his 461 appearances and 203 goals, as well as the title of top scorer in the club’s history, he believes he has not yet reached that status. “I don’t really like giving myself titles or that sort of thing. I’ll think about it later. For now, I have to continue to prove, day after day, that I know how to play. And he still has many challenges ahead. “Winning a league title, a Champions League, a cup… There is still a lot to achieve, and I want to continue to bring joy to people and to my teammates.” Concerning the Champions League, the former French international is haunted by the final against Real Madrid in Milan. “Yes, we always think about it. It’s true that if I had scored, we still wouldn’t have won, but it would have given the team a boost at a crucial moment in the match, when we were playing really well. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.”
Finally, the former FC Barcelona player was invited to speak about his future. “In the end, we always talked about it. This will be the case from the day of my arrival until my departure. But like I said, I’m very happy here. Everyone knows that MLS is my dream, my goal, but I have a contract, I want to extend it and continue to be important. The French is therefore very clear. He wants to continue in Madrid and even plans to stay there longer than planned. An important announcement from Antoine Griezmann, author of 5 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions this season in the Colchoneros jersey.
