It is one of the world’s most underrated players who said goodbye to his club and La Liga at the weekend. French superstar Antoine Griezmann is leaving Atletico Madrid and stepping down into a slacker league on the other side of the Atlantic.
It is not his goodbye now that he apologizes for, but something that happened a few years ago.
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The 35-year-old star still hasn’t been forgiven by all fans. In an emotional farewell speech, he humbly apologized.
Antoine Griezmann pleaded with Atletico Madrid supporters for forgiveness after he played his very last game for the club at the weekend, the clash against Girona at home was game number 500 for the club.
The 35-year-old will leave the Spanish capital when his contract expires this summer. He has already signed for Orlando City in Major League Soccer.
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Griezmann walks out the door as one of the club’s greatest of all time. He holds the record as the all-time top scorer at Atletico Madrid – 212 goals in 500 games.
The Frenchman was also a creative threat until the very end. He recorded his 100th assist for the club when he set up Ademola Lookman’s winning goal in the 1-0 win over Girona at the weekend.
Atletico Madrid honored their superstar after the match. Griezmann gave a speech in the middle of the pitch, thanking the supporters – and lamenting what many have never forgotten: the controversial transfer to Barcelona back in 2019.
Griezmann went to Camp Nou for a staggering €120 million, after Barcelona triggered his release clause. The Atletico supporters were raging. But after two painful years at Barca, he came home – first on a two-year loan, then permanently after just one year.
When he took the microphone, it overflowed:
“Thank you very much to everyone who stayed behind. This is absolutely fantastic,” Griezmann told fans.
“This means everything. I know that many of you have already forgiven me, and that some still have not. But I apologize again. I didn’t know how much love I had here. I was very young, and I made a mistake. I woke up, and we did everything we could to enjoy life here again.
Griezmann joined Atletico Madrid from Real Sociedad in 2014. Under Diego Simeone, he developed into one of the world’s very best attackers.
The French striker only lifted one major trophy in his first spell at the club – the Europa League title in 2018. Atletico did win La Liga in 2021, but then Griezmann was at Barcelona. He was also part of France’s World Cup gold in 2018, but has since retired from the national team. He will not represent his nation in North America this summer.
He ended with a greeting to the manager who shaped him:
“Thanks to you, Diego, there’s so much passion in this stadium. Thanks to you, I became a world champion and felt like the best in the world. I owe you so much – it has been an honor to fight for you.
“I haven’t been able to take home a La Liga title or Champions League trophy. But this love is worth more. I will carry it with me for the rest of my life.
Here you see it all including his touching speech!!
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