His speech is particularly rare, but still just as precious. French international Antoine Griezmann appeared at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, on the eve of facing Greece in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, and a few hours after speaking with Téléfoot. After having digested the captaincy of Kylian Mbappé, he now wants to put himself at the service of the “collective” to try to continue the faultless achieved so far by the Blues, with three victories in the first three games, eight goals scored and zero cashed.
Let it be clear, yes, Grizoo needed to digest the appointment of Kylian Mbappé as captain by Didier Deschamps, after the retirement of Hugo Lloris after the World Cup final lost against Argentina . The one who honored his 120th selection, which places him behind Thierry Henry (123), but ahead of Zizou (108), saw himself becoming captain of the Blues. “It was hard, difficult, he confided to the microphone of Téléfoot. I am 32 years old, and even if I still have the canes I am still a little more on the end”, before admitting that it had taken him “a day and a half, two days” to digest the news. .
“Always the group before me”
News in the middle of a delicate period in his club Atlético de Madrid and the famous “30 minutes” clause, which did not allow him to play longer at the start of the season. However, this did not prevent him from finding a smile after the difficult seasons since his transfer to FC Barcelona, to the point of scoring 15 goals and delivering 16 assists, to finish as the best passer in La Liga.
Difficulties that he paradoxically never really encountered with the Blues, as Didier Deschamps recalled: “Even if he had periods since 2018 when it was complicated, he always found and had a very good influence. in the French team. “Because Griezmann has always preferred to put himself at the service of the collective rather than wanting to pull the cover. By his own admission, he “likes to score”, but he also and above all likes “to make others play”: “It’s my game, it’s my way of thinking. Always the group before me”, to the point of making it a leitmotif for the education of his children. “You have to play for the teammates. Because without them, you’re nothing, you’re nobody. If I’m at this level, it’s also thanks to them,” he insists.
“Fully with Kylian who is our captain”
That’s why he put aside his ego, to put himself at the service of one of the best players in the world. “With Kylian, there are zero worries. For me it’s a pleasure to play with him, for him. It’s up to us to put him in the best conditions so that he can lift his first trophy as captain of the Blues. Now full throttle with Kylian who is our captain.”
If this episode could have been painful, he in any case never questioned his presence with the Blues. “I will have to be taken out of the selection, I love the France team too much. You have to be level too. You can want to be there without having the level. If I have the level, I would like to go as far as possible, ”he warned. With, in a corner of the head the dream of participating in the 2024 Olympics, organized in Paris. “If I am called, I will put extraordinary pressure to be allowed to do them. It’s a dream, a goal, ”he was very clear. Until then, Antoine Griezmann does not want to upset this return to form and warns: “there will be no change” this summer, while rumors send him to the side of PSG.