After four difficult years marked by two chaotic seasons at Barcelona and a return to Atletico Madrid with some complications, are you surprised by Antoine Griezmann's World Cup performance?
I'm not surprised by the quality of his game, because he's always had it, but I've always judged Antoine's condition according to his smile. At Barcelona, you didn't see him laughing much, he was rather sad and preoccupied. At Atletico, he had an injury that bothered him a lot, but I see him much happier now. And when he's smiling, like we've seen him since the start of the competition, that's when he's at his best.
In his last outings before the World Cup with Les Bleus, doubt surrounded him. He was so doubtful that his place in the starting XI was no longer guaranteed and that he would play the World Cup in a substitute role to finish matches. And now, once again, he is the fulcrum of the French team's game.
Antoine has always had a sense of the game, a sense of goal, the technical quality to hit set pieces, to cross. He always knew how to make the right choice: either to bring speed or to make a break or to play short or long. He knows how to attack, but he also knows how to defend and he has always played like that. He is the total player. He has worked to improve. I understand the desire to create idols; Kylian Mbappe is an extraordinary player, he has had a great World Cup, with goals, but he is not the emblematic figure of the competition. An important player, yes, but not above the rest. Antoine is very good at making decisions on the pitch, even if he is less talked about. I would love to see him get the player of the tournament award because he really deserves it.
Has staying in the shadow of Mbappe been beneficial for Griezmann in taking on this new role in the midfield where he was not expected to play at such a high level?
What Antoine has achieved during this World Cup is very impressive, because he has felt the game. And even when it has come to defending, he's done it with a lot of intelligence. An example is the second half against England when he was cautioned. The whole world talks about Antoine and sees what he does. I'm on a radio show in Spain and I'm aware of the image he's been sending out for the last month. It doesn't matter who wins the final, but if he could be voted best player of the tournament, it would be deserved, because back in 2018, even if Luka Modric was exceptional, Antoine deserved it. To play a second World Cup at this level and not be congratulated would be quite unfair.
France has always shone when it has had players with a collective vision of the game: Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane. Does Griezmann belong to that caste?
Certainly, but everything I see of Antoine does not surprise me. He has always had this ability to adapt. He knows how to play everywhere: striker, left winger, right winger, nine and a half, or even further back to recover and distribute. Attacking, defending, making decisions: he is complete. Lionel Messi and Mbappe were decisive, and I'm not forgetting Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud, who played essential roles. But none of them have been like Antoine.
Is this diversity in his game the result of his formative years, when he had to go to Real Sociedad to find the right environment for his abilities?
He always played in the final third, because he had the ability to make a difference. However, he was never afraid of defending, of being one-on-one, or going into a duel, even if he was the smallest because he used his intelligence. He wasn't afraid to confront, to jump in order to hinder his direct opponent. He always had this courage, even in small training matches.
Did you ever imagine that one day he would play a world cup semi-final as a central defender?
(Laughs) But he could do it! If he needs to help out in a weak area, he does it. He doesn't think he's someone else, and what's more, we know he'll do it well. He has all the footballing skills to contribute in all areas of the field.
Whether in the opposition's box or in defensive phases, Griezmann often shines with the timing of his headers, even though he is not huge in size.
It is innate in him, but he has developed it. I remember that after training, he was perfecting it. He would take the ball with one, two, three steps, with Claudio Bravo in goal. And by dint of repeating, repeating, repeating... He also developed a sense of anticipation and you can see it in the way he positions his arm to get ahead of or contain his opponent to compensate for his height deficit.
Didier Deschamps and Griezmann share the same jersey number in the France team, 7. We get the impression that the coach takes this relationship and the importance of the number very much to heart, without tipping over into superstition. This role is the heart of their game.
Antoine has always been a generous player, a good listener, with the will to work for the team. He understands that he cannot always be brilliant and that, in such a case, he must contribute in another way, by performing other tasks. I see him as a leader of the game and even if Lloris wears the armband, for me Antoine has all the attributes of a captain.
When Griezmann left for Barcelona, he had to learn to play differently, less freely, as Messi played the role of the free player there. It wasn't suited to his all-round style of play, it was one player too many in that role.
I see how far Antoine has come since he started and how he has evolved as a player, but also as a man. We talked about his relationship with Messi, with Luis Suarez, but the real problem was the level of Barcelona. He left Atletico because, I think, he needed to get out of his comfort zone. Football is also about questioning yourself, about ambition, about goals. It didn't work out, but it wasn't as bad as people make out. He was able to return to Atletico, one of his homes, to become important and happy again, as we see in the French team in this magnificent blue shirt. It fills me with pride and joy.
When he defends with Atletico, it's Simeone's influence forcing him deeper but when it's with Les Bleus, he looks like the best player in the world. Is Griezmann's tournament a form of revenge against Simeone's Cholismo?
This World Cup has reminded us that there is no one way to play football. France are capable of playing forward but they also understand how to defend and counterattack. We saw that against England and then against Morocco. Argentina also had to do this. Of course, there are some styles that are better than others to watch. But you can win with four at the back or three, with a top striker or two or three. The most important thing is that the team is convinced of what it is doing. And this strength of conviction is the great strength of France.
