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Over in Riyadh, Antoine Griezmann is breaking a report. A neat flip together with his left foot leaves one Actual Madrid marker on the bottom and one other trailing in his wake. A fierce shot together with his proper foot sees the ball fly into the underside nook of the web.
Finally, Actual Madrid got here from behind twice to win an exciting Spanish Tremendous Cup semi-final by 5 objectives to 3 after additional time. Griezmann goes into the Atletico Madrid historical past books, nonetheless. His redemption in pink and white is now full.
It was he who additionally scored the primary ever objective on the Metropolitano Stadium. “It was not simply any objective,” he stated on the time. Nor was this one. The objective that made it 174 for Atletico, breaking the report set by Luis Aragones virtually half a century in the past.
There’s a statue of Aragones outdoors the Metropolitano. There was a time when any hope of Griezmann being honoured in the identical method appeared lengthy gone. Even the small plaque to mark each participant who has made 100 appearances for the membership appeared misplaced.
It was trashed upon his return with Barcelona. A trio of toy rats marked the spot, signifying the power of feeling towards him. Contained in the stadium, there was a banner questioning his manhood. The chants from the Atletico followers have been much less savoury than that.
Griezmann got here by means of it. Resistance dissipated when he returned. Contrition was clear, work ethic unwavering. And apart from, Atletico nonetheless received a title with out him. Regardless of signing him twice, they’ve managed to make a revenue on their report scorer too.
Recollections have been made as properly. His latest objective within the 1-0 win over Mallorca was the report twenty fifth event by which Griezmann had scored the one objective of a sport in La Liga. It speaks to how decisive his interventions have turn out to be below Diego Simeone.
“With him, there may be all the time one thing particular that may seem at any second within the match,” says Simeone himself. Given a free function – as free as any participant can probably be in a Simeone aspect – Griezmann has flourished with out being seen to take too many liberties.
He nonetheless harries, masking the kilometres. That’s non-negotiable. However it has been in him because the begin. Lyon instructed him that he was too small when only a boy. The whole lot since has been an train in displaying his robustness, proving that he can deal with the physicality.
He would have thrived anyplace.
To take action at Simeone’s Atletico brings further satisfaction.
As Jose Luis Caminero, the person who first signed him for Atletico, put it: “He’s a participant prepared to sacrifice himself for the workforce when it’s wanted and work on defensive duties too, one thing that makes him totally different from the remainder of the world’s biggest gamers.”
A really Atletico Galactico.
As such, it’s applicable that even second time round, the wrestle got here earlier than the success. Upon being loaned again to Atletico, the dispute over his switch price led to his minutes being restricted. He was on the bench for the primary seven video games of final season.
At that stage, all this seemed something however inevitable. “Many, many, thought in any other case,” Simeone identified. However Griezmann is enjoying the very best soccer of a profession that received him the World Cup half a dozen years in the past and a nine-figure transfer to Barcelona after that.
Griezmann was the excellent participant in Spanish soccer in 2023 – and it was not shut. The gulf between him and the remainder is finest illustrated by the truth that he was not solely the highest scorer in La Liga within the calendar yr however he was additionally prime of the assists checklist too.
Griezmann was concerned in 34 Atletico objectives, 9 greater than nearest rival Robert Lewandowski. No person else managed greater than 20. However even these numbers don’t do justice to his contribution. Evaluate the variety of massive probabilities created to the remainder in 2023.
He’s scorer and creator, prompter in chief.
He has discovered himself once more. At Barcelona, that was unattainable within the shadow of Lionel Messi. Compelled to discover a new place, do issues that didn’t go well with his personal strengths in servitude to the workforce, he managed to make a task for himself, but it surely was not his personal.
Right here, and with Messi gone, he has established himself as the primary man not simply at Atletico however maybe within the competitors. “When he performs properly, the workforce hits one other degree,” Simeone explains. “He permits us to have extra choices to transition from defence to assault.”
This objective was simply the newest instance of that. It got here, simply because the record-equalling effort towards Getafe did final month, with a caveat. Two late objectives to disclaim him the glory, which means that the celebrations have been curtailed. How appropriately Atletico is that.
This path has not been good. Twice, Griezmann has joined Atletico as champions however he has by no means received La Liga with them. Possibly that’s extra becoming. The wrestle is all a part of it with Atletico. And Griezmann is again, striving towards these royal rivals, main the struggle.
The person whose Atletico profession may need resulted in ignominy however for his personal willpower to return has solid one other legacy, turned the web page on one other story. On the promenade of legends, a plaque not feels sufficient. Antoine Griezmann’s standing is lastly assured.
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