The striker doesn't only have French blood running through his veins. His mother, Isabelle, grew up in a family of Portuguese immigrants who settled in France before he was born. The grandfather of the future Atletico player was also a footballer, but he had to hang up his football boots early. He became a builder to be able to support his large family. The surname "Griezmann" is of German origin, since the striker's father was born in a region of the country close to Germany.
The young man quickly outgrew the level of his local club, and a few years later his father began taking him to trials for prestigious teams. Coaches one after another refused Antoine Griezmann because he was much smaller and thinner than his peers. The promising striker seems too fragile compared to his peers and the selections to the academies of "Lyon", "Auxerre" and "Saint-Étienne" did not succeed. Only regular sessions in the gym have borne fruit and the player's current height is 175 centimeters for a weight of 72 kilograms.
At the age of 13, the teenager took part in a youth tournament held in Paris. He didn't even have an official "Montpellier" jersey because he was a player from the deep bench. Throughout the match, the young man sat on the bench and the coach only brought him on for the last part of the match. Even in just 10 minutes, he was able to demonstrate his talent. The famous scout Eric Olhats from "Real Sociedad" noticed the promising striker. He arrived at the stadium quite by chance while he was passing through Paris. The football talent scout immediately noticed that Griezmann's ball control technique was exquisite and effortless.
The young boy had the opportunity to leave his native France for good at the age of thirteen, but against all expectations, several problems arose. He did not speak Spanish, had not yet completed his studies and there was no place available in the Spanish football academy. Mr. Olhats was forced to take the newly adopted protégé to his own home. The scout's estate was located near the border with Spain. In the morning, Antoine attended classes at school and after lunch he went to San Sebastian to attend training.
The promising striker made his debut in the Real Sociedad first team in 2009, purely by chance. Head coach Martin Lasarte needed a talented left-footer. Initially, Binegen Erdosoy was promoted from the reserves, but he quickly got injured. It was only after that that Griezmann got his chance. The young striker started scoring crucial goals and cemented his place in the starting line-up for a long time.
The Madrid club acquired the Frenchman for $30 million. This transfer turned out to be very successful for the "Los Blancos", since the striker immediately began to score a lot of goals. He quickly became the team's top scorer and scored many goals against his direct rivals. For example, these are the outstanding performances Antoine Griezmann in matches against Barcelona and Bayern Munich that helped the Madrid team reach the Champions League final in 2016.
The striker's debut for France was a success as he scored the winning goal against Ukraine in 2010. Griezmann's most prolific tournament was Euro 2016, where he was named the tournament's best player. He played 7 matches, scored 6 goals, took his national team to the final, but lost to Portugal. 2018 proved to be a much more successful year for Griezmann and the French team. At the World Cup held in Russia, France became champions and Antoine managed to score 4 goals, including a penalty in the final.
After a successful European Championship, journalists began to actively discuss the possibility of the Frenchman leaving the Madrid club. Before the summer transfer window opened, he said in an interview with L'Equipe that he did not rule out the possibility of changing clubs. He mentioned his desire to always win titles and believed that Atletico usually settle for second place. However, the player's transfer to another club was postponed indefinitely, as his current club received a transfer ban for violating the rules. Since the club was unable to replace Antoine, he decided to stay for the time being, recognizing everything the club had given him.
For six consecutive years, Eric Olhats played the roles of father figure and friend to Antoine Griezmann . He helped the young man become a professional footballer but never acted as his agent. The scout continues to communicate daily with his former protégé and there is a strong bond of trust between them. The talent scout frequently exchanges messages with the Frenchman on WhatsApp.
After scoring a goal, Antoine usually performs a series of dance moves that he borrowed from Drake's music video for the song "Hotline Bling" and the game Fortnite. However, there are times when the player celebrates his goal in a different style. For example, during a Euro 2016 match, the Frenchman left a lasting impression on fans by gracefully diving onto the pitch.