Antoine Griezmann is a French soccer icon. The 31-year-old is a centurion for Les Blues having made 108 appearances for France. He has also scored 42 goals for his country and has been a key figure during a golden period for France’s national team, helping Didier Deschamps’ side to World Cup glory in 2018.
At present, though, Griezmann is far from guaranteed of his place for France. The attacker started just two of France’s four recent UEFA Nations League matches and was substituted off on both occasions. Meanwhile, there is speculation about Griezmann’s club future after an underwhelming season back at Atletico Madrid. He can’t be certain of his place there either.
This is notable for a player of Griezmann’s ability. It wasn’t so long ago that he was seen as one of the best players in the world – Griezmann finished third in the Ballon d’Or voting in both 2016 and 2018. He was the top scorer at Euro 2016 as France made the final and earned a €120m transfer to Barcelona in 2019 after the Catalan club chased him for a full year.
Griezmann’s form has been underwhelming for some time. While Barca’s financial troubles were the primary reasons for his return to Atleti, it’s also true the Catalans were grateful to see the Frenchman leave such was the inconsistency of his performances over two seasons at the Camp Nou.
The theory was that a return to Atletico Madrid, and a reunion with Diego Simeone, would get the best out of Griezmann again, but never happened as the 31-year-old toiled through the 2021/22 season. Griezmann netted just three times in 26 La Liga appearances for Atleti, although his Champions League form was stronger – four goals in nine appearances.
Simeone tried using Griezmann as a lone striker. He was also deployed on the left side of a front three. The Frenchman was even played as a number 10 in an attempt to relight the flame that was extinguished with the 2019 transfer to Barcelona. Not much worked, and now Atleti are reportedly in the market for a new centre forward this summer.
Joao Felix forged something of an understanding with Griezmann in the second half of the 2021/22 season, but there are still questions over both players’ futures at the Wanda Metropolitano. With Luis Suarez gone, this might be a good time for Simeone to rebuild his attack. Griezmann could be a victim of that.
Part of the problem for Griezmann at international level is that Deschamps has several top-level options in the attacking third to choose from. Karim Benzema is the hottest centre forward in world soccer right now after scoring 44 goals for Real Madrid last season and is back in the picture for France after returning to the national team fold last year.
Kylian Mbappe is also up there as one of the most devastating forwards around and has forged a good relationship with Benzema playing off the left wing. This gives the Paris Saint-Germain attacker the space he needs to burst into and make the most of his pace. At this point, Benzema and Mbappe are undroppable.
This leaves one free spot in Deschamps’ front three, and that has been occupied by Christopher Nkunku most recently. The 24-year-old is the perfect player to have fill the space around Benzema and Mbappe. He is a modern forward who can play in a number of different ways and in a number of different positions. On top of this, Nkunku is fresh from a season that saw him score 20 Bundesliga goals for RB Leipzig.
When Deschamps has switched from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1, as he did for the recent Nations League match against Austria, he has favoured the likes of Kingsley Coman and Moussa Diaby in the wide positions to provide some genuine width. Griezmann can play on the left, but his natural instinct is to cut inside. That can make France’s possession play congested.
At 31, Griezmann still has plenty to offer, but he has reached a critical juncture in his career. For years, he spearheaded France’s attack. He was their biggest difference-maker. Now, the landscape has shifted and Griezmann is being left behind. If things don’t change for him between now and the start of the 2022 World Cup, he could well be left at home.
