Antoine Griezmann French Footballer Born 1991 in Mâcon

Early life

Antoine Griezmann was born on 21 March 1991 in Mâcon, in eastern France, and started playing for his hometown club UF Mâconnais. He went on trial with several professional clubs, including Lyon, the team he supported as a boy, but academies hesitated over his slight build. In 2005, while trialling with Montpellier, he played in a friendly against the Paris Saint-Germain youth side. The match was attended by Éric Olhats, a French scout working for Real Sociedad, who invited him to the Basque Country for a one-week trial and then a second. The club offered him a youth contract, and his parents agreed to the move to Spain after receiving reassurances. He lived with the scout at first and went to school across the border in Bayonne.

Career

Griezmann made his first-team debut for Real Sociedad on 2 September 2009 as a substitute in the Copa del Rey. He scored his first professional goal later that month, and the club won the Segunda División in 2009-10 and returned to La Liga. In 2013 his goal against Deportivo La Coruña on the final day secured a Champions League place for Real Sociedad.

In July 2014 he joined Atlético Madrid for a fee close to his EUR 30 million release clause. Over the 2014-15 season he scored 22 league goals, the most for a French player in a single Spanish top-flight campaign up to then. In 2015-16 he was named La Liga's best player, and Atlético reached the Champions League final in Milan, where they lost to Real Madrid on penalties after a 1-1 draw. He scored in the shootout. In 2018 he scored twice in the Europa League final against Marseille, and he was named the competition's player of the season.

Griezmann signed for Barcelona in July 2019 in a deal that Atlético Madrid disputed for a time. He won the Copa del Rey with the club in 2021, scoring the opening goal of a 4-0 final against Athletic Bilbao. In August 2021 he returned to Atlético on loan, and in October 2022 the move was made permanent. In 2022-23 he finished as Atlético's top scorer and as La Liga's leading provider of assists. On 10 January 2024 he became the club's all-time leading scorer, and he reached 200 goals for Atlético on 30 September 2025. His final match for the club was on 24 May 2026, after which he moved to Orlando City SC in Major League Soccer. He scored on his debut there on 22 July 2026.

For France, Griezmann won the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and played at under-20 and under-21 levels. He earned his first senior call-up in February 2014 and made his debut the following month. At UEFA Euro 2016 he won the Golden Boot with six goals and was named player of the tournament, as France lost the final to Portugal. At the 2018 World Cup he scored a penalty in the final win over Croatia, was named man of the match, and received the Bronze Ball. France also won the 2021 UEFA Nations League, and in 2022 he finished the World Cup as joint-top assist provider as France lost the final to Argentina on penalties. He announced his retirement from international football on 30 September 2024, having made 137 appearances and scored 44 goals.

Recognition

Griezmann finished third in the Ballon d'Or voting in 2016 and again in 2018. His individual honours include La Liga Best Player for 2015-16, the Europa League Player of the Season for 2017-18, and UEFA Euro 2016 Player of the Tournament and Golden Boot. At the 2018 World Cup he received the Silver Boot as well as the Bronze Ball. In 2018 he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour.

Personal life

Griezmann married Erika Choperena on 15 June 2017. His father became president of UF Mâconnais in 2020, the club where Griezmann played as a youth.