Barely a month ago, everything suggested a story that would continue for a long time. By extending his contract until 2027, Antoine Griezmann seemed to definitively seal his destiny with Atlético de Madrid. An almost romantic fidelity, for the one who embodies a decade of passion among the Colchoneros. But behind the apparent stability, the decor changes visibly.
A new season and a new role for Griezmann
Because the offensive hierarchy has changed. The arrival of Julian Alvarez rebatted the cards, and Griezmann is no longer the indisputable player he was. The 2025 Club World Cup marked a turning point: replaced in the last two games after a setback against PSG, the Frenchman lost ground. Marca Affirms: he will start the 2025-2026 season with no warranty of playing time. A first.
The past season had however confirmed its constancy (17 goals, 9 assists), but with only 13 games played in full, the signs of decline were already there. Griezmann, lucid, accepted a more deleted role when he extends. He remains combative, but he knows the weight of time and the emergence of young talents. His speech is sober, but the sporting reality is relentless.
Griezmann remains at Atlético.
The MLS online for 2026
At 34, the former Barcelona knows that the end approach. And according to the Iberian press, a departure in the summer of 2026 is already on the table. Atlético anticipates, the player too. A separation planned to avoid brutal rupture, and above all to prepare the real turn: a departure to Major League Soccer, where another dream, more personal.
Griezmann has never hidden his attraction to the United States. The MLS would be the epilogue of a full career, chosen and assumed. It remains to be seen if he will be able to close the Madrid chapter in a last season worthy of its history. Or if he will slide, slowly, to the exit without even realizing it.
