Ahead of the 2022 World Cup final, Lionel Messi was the clear favourite for the player of the tournament award, but if he was to have a rival, it was Antoine Griezmann not Kylian Mbappe.
The latter’s hat-trick and obscene performance in the final somewhat placed Griezmann’s tournament in the background, but over the last decade, the Atletico Madrid forward has been Les Bleus most consistent player.
After Hugo Lloris retired, many expected Griezmann to take over the captaincy for France, as their most senior player. Yet one of his biggest advocates, Didier Deschamps, went for Mbappe over Griezmann.
“It was difficult… Difficult…” Griezmann admits.
“I took a day or two to digest it. Now, totally with Mbappe. With Kylian, there are no worries. It is a pleasure to play with him and for him. He knows we need him, like in the World Cup. What he did in the final… it’s not normal,” he told Telefoot, as carried by Diario AS.
“He has this level to win everything and it’s up to us to put him in the best conditions so he can lift his first trophy as captain of the France team.”
Part of Griezmann’s very impressive redemption at Atletico has been his willingness to put aside ego and sacrifice for the team. Not only in his work-rate, but also his ability to change his position for the good of the team, rather than necessarily himself. The way he has endeared himself to the Metropolitano is symptomatic of what Griezmann shows again in this interview – a total commitment to the team above all else.
