Au Revoir, Antoine
Antoine Griezmann can walk away from international football with his head held high.
This is a guest article by Chirag Sharatkumar. Subscribe to Sideline Stories.
It was, in the end, quiet. A muted goodbye for a player who was anything but.
Antoine Griezmann announced his international retirement on Monday morning, ending his decade-long tenure as the face of the French national team.
The 33-year-old does so with dignity, with grace, with so many memories tucked neatly away — some held close, others left for the world to revel in.
For a player of his exuberance, there’s an unmistakable quietness to this departure, with little of the fanfare and flamboyance that Griezmann has become known for.
On 137, the Atletico Madrid forward was just eight caps away from being the most-capped French international in history, on par with Olivier Giroud and just behind Lilian Thuram and Hugo Lloris. Many, including France head coach Didier Deschamps, expected him to continue his decorated international career through to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
But alas, it is not to be. Griezmann’s departure marks the end of an era certainly, not just for himself but for France too. He is, after all, one of their finest.
Many players have worn the France shirt, but few have done it the justice that Griezmann has. He joins Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini at the very top; standing shoulder to shoulder with the immortal crowned kings of French football.
“It’s with a heart full of memories that I close this chapter of my life. Thank you for this wonderful tricolour adventure and see you soon.”
From debuting in a promising, but not-yet-elite team in 2014, to being so close to greatness but falling short in Euro 2016. From the consecration of every effort into World Cup glory in 2018, to reaching consecutive World Cup finals in 2022 as a dominant powerhouse, Griezmann has been an integral part of the French set up over the last 10 years.
He was the player Deschamps could always count on, the one who wove France together, whose intelligence and goalscoring propelled the team forward and allowed those around him to shine. Add in his unrelenting workrate and you’d be hard pressed to find a more dedicated performer.
But Griezmann was rarely the star the world shouted about, though that never seemed to bother him. With six goals in seven games, he was far and away the best player at Euro 2016, but with no trophy to show for it. Only Platini, who scored nine goals at Euro 2024, has ever netted more times in a single edition of the Euros.
And you can’t tell the story of France’s World Cup triumph in 2018 without him at the centre of it all. Kylian Mbappe may have stolen the headlines at the time, but it was Griezmann who scripted the story.
And even at Qatar in 2022, he was the standout player in a stacked France side, all the while playing in a completely revamped midfield role.
That’s the thing though: he wasn’t just a forward; he was France’s everything. A striker, a false nine, an attacking midfielder, a winger when needed on either flank, and more recently, even a box-to-box midfielder.
But through it all, he never complained. He never stopped running. He adapted, evolved, became whatever the team needed whenever they needed it.
There’s a subtle beauty in that, in being the player who makes it all click, the one whose contribution is so essential but often goes unheralded. In a way, that’s been the story of Griezmann’s career. He’s won trophies, he’s had two Ballon d’Or podium finishes, but he’s rarely the first name on anyone’s lips.
And yet, those who know, know. You don’t replace a player like Griezmann. You don’t just find someone else who can do what he did, who can offer the intelligence, the versatility, the balance, or the goals. You don’t because you can’t.
It’s hard to put into words what exactly Griezmann gave to France, not because the statistics aren’t there; they absolutely are, but because what he gave went far beyond goals, assists or anything that can be put into numbers.
He offered himself. All of himself. In every game, in every moment. And it’s that, more than anything, that France will miss.
It will be very interesting to see how Deschamps manages this team in a post-Griezmann climate. In recent times, especially with the absence of Paul Pogba, the creative and progressive passing duties rested almost entirely with Griezmann, along with his host of usual responsibilities. This leaves a gaping hole that will pose a new set of challenges to a sometimes-inconsistent France side.
In the meantime though, Griezmann will continue shining as the all-important centerpiece for Atletico, as he always has. Here too, he is the conductor, the leader, the one that connects everyone and everything. And Atleti, like France, are much better for it.
France will move on, as all great teams do, but Griezmann’s absence will linger. There will always be new stars, but there will never be another quite like him. Not with that mix of talent and humility, not with that unique ability to bind a team together, to make everything easier for everyone the way he did.
And so, as he walks away from international football, there is no doubt. Antoine Griezmann, who last week made his 500th LaLiga appearance, belongs with the greats of French football, not because he demanded it, but because he earned it.
Au revoir, Antoine. France thanks you and Atletico awaits with open arms.