Surprising announcement dropped this Monday by the French forward playing for Atletico Madrid, Antoine Griezmann. The Mâcon-born player took to his social media (@AntoGriezmann) to, with an emotional message, at the age of 33 and after a decade of defending the 'Les Bleus' shirt, announce his official retirement from the French national team.
The talented French forward made a post containing the following message: "With a heart full of memories, I close this chapter of my life. Thank you for this magnificent tricolor adventure and see you soon," accompanying his statement with a video just over a minute long showcasing several of his best moments wearing the national team's shirt.
Antoine Griezmann and a Decade of Success with 'Les Bleus'
With this, 'Grizou' retires from the French national team after playing a total of 137 matches, since his debut under Didier Deschamps on March 5, 2014, in a friendly match between 'Les Bleus' and the Netherlands, which ended in a 2-0 victory for France. It is worth noting that the Frenchman currently stands on the podium of players with the most matches played for the national team, tied for third place with Olivier Giroud, with only Lilian Thuram (142) and Hugo Lloris (145) ahead of him.
During his time in France, the former FC Barcelona player, scored a total of 44 goals, placing him fourth in the all-time top scorers list for 'Les Bleus', surpassed only by Kylian Mbappé (48), Thierry Henry (51), and Olivier Giroud (57). Additionally, he provided a total of 38 assists, becoming the all-time assist leader for the French national team.
The French forward, who proved to be a key player for Didier Deschamps in the attacking front, stood out for his versatility in playing as a left winger, right winger, attacking midfielder, and center forward, also achieving a series of successes internationally. Apart from maintaining an impressive streak of 84 consecutive appearances with 'Les Bleus', he can pride himself on lifting the 2018 World Cup trophy with his national team, a tournament in which he was named the MVP of the final. Similarly, the 'Little Prince' can boast winning the Nations League in 2021 with France and being the top scorer of the UEFA Euro 2016.
Didier Deschamps' Emotional Letter following Antoine Griezmann's Farewell
Hours after Antoine Griezmann's retirement announcement, French coach Didier Deschamps lamented his departure and praised, in a letter, an international career that will be hard to match in the years to come. "After a long and thoughtful reflection, Antoine has decided to end his magnificent international career. We recently had a long conversation about it. Since his debut with the French team ten years ago, he and I have maintained a relationship of trust and frankness," he commented.
He continued: "It's never easy to draw a line with the French team, especially when one has represented it so well, embodied it so well. It takes courage, lucidity, and honesty, and Antoine, in his analysis, has not lacked any of that. It's all to his credit. Although his club career is not over, Antoine was, and will continue to be, a monument of French football, one of the best players in its history."
"In addition to his 44 goals and 30 assists, his contribution to the results obtained over the last decade is immense. Driven at all times by a collective spirit and a rare selflessness among attacking players, Antoine has always been a source of pride for football and for the blue shirt. He has never cheated in any way."
Deschamps concluded the letter by thanking Antoine Griezmann for everything he has brought to the French national team over the past decade. "Naturally, I note with great emotion your international retirement. It has often been said that Antoine was my spoiled child. We had forged a very strong relationship, which will remain intact. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything, my Grizou."