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Veteran French footballer bid an emotional, teary-eyed farewell to his club Atletico Madrid on Sunday after his side's final La Liga clash against Girona at home, which the hosts won 1-0.
Griezmann, who is set to join Major League Soccer (MLS) side Orlando City this summer, expressed his apologies to the fans for leaving the club, which he first represented from 2014-19, for a three-year stint with Barcelona before returning home in 2022 as a legend. During his two stints with Atletico Madrid, Griezmann, a FIFA World Cup winner with France, won the UEFA Super Cup, the Spanish Super Cup and the UEFA Europa League, but the domestic level top-flight league La Liga and the biggest prize in European football, UEFA Champions League, eluded him. Even with Barcelona, he was able to add a Copa Del Rey to his resume, missing out on top honours. Their side has ended the La Liga season within the top four and have one more game to go, while they crashed out of the Champions League in the semifinals after a 2-1 loss to Arsenal, who will now battle defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for the title. Following the match, he said to the fans, as quoted by Goal.com, "Thank you all for staying behind. This is amazing," the Frenchman said. "This is important. I know many of you have already, and some still have not, but I apologise again for joining Barcelona. I did not realise how much love I had here. I was very young, and I made a mistake. I came back to my senses, and we did everything we could to enjoy life here again." While a lack of La Liga and Champions League leaves a hole in his resume, Griezmann feels that the love from the fans is "worth more". "I have not been able to bring home a La Liga title or a Champions League trophy, but this love is worth more. I will carry it with me for the rest of my life," he said. The club boss, Diego Simeone, hailed Griezmann as "probably the best player we have had here", and the French veteran also thanked Diego for his help in developing him into a World Cup-winning player. "Thanks to you [Simeone], there is so much excitement in this stadium," Griezmann said. "Thanks to you, I became a world champion, and I felt like the best in the world. I owe you so much, and it has been an honour to fight for you," he signed off. Griezmann's farewell at home was also his 500th appearance for the club, and during the match, he assisted in Ademola Lookman's winning goal. He is likely to feature in the club's final game at Villarreal and will leave behind a legacy of 212 goals, the most for the club. (ANI)
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