The large marquee erected at Atletico Madrid’s training complex is packed with journalists from the world over, anxious to find out how the team is shaping up ahead of the club’s second UEFA Champions League final in three years. Real Madrid once again provide the opposition this year and midfielder Koke is politely answering the questions put to him by the reporters. Then, from the back, comes another enquiry: “Antoine Griezmann here, from Club Atletico de Madrid. Just one question…” Laughter fills the marquee.
The French forward is a happy-go-lucky character, and it shows. Now 25, he is enjoying the best season of his career, having scored 32 goals in 50 matches for Atleti, seven of those strikes coming in the Champions League. And the best could yet be to come.
This Saturday, he will play in his first continental final and will be doing all he can to help Atletico win the famous old trophy for the first time in their history. Then, in a few weeks’ time, he will step out at UEFA EURO 2016, a tournament in which hosts France are the favourites and where he, in the absence of Karim Benzema, will provide the chief attacking threat.
As if that were not enough, Griezmann has just become a father, and has decided to dispense with his trademark blond mohawk haircut, all for the sake of his newborn daughter. Aside from all that, there is not much new in his life.
“I haven’t really noticed much of a difference. In the lead-up to games my girlfriend goes to another room with our baby girl so I can get some sleep. And during the day she sleeps, so there’s not much I can do,” he smiles. “I do change her nappies, though, and I dress and bathe her too. I really enjoy it.”
When Griezmann turns up, right on time, for his chat with FIFA.com, there is something missing, as he explained: “Yes, I normally carry a thermos flask around with me wherever I go.”
Today there is no sign of it, or the gourd and straw he uses to drink yerba mate infusion with his Argentinian and Uruguayan team-mates. “It’s Uruguayan mate,” explained the Frenchman, who, as his team-mate Diego Godin likes to say, is actually just another charrúa.
FIFA.com: Can you remember where you watched the 2014 Champions League final? AntoineGriezmann: I was with the national team preparing for the World Cup in Brazil, in the lounge with all the players at Clairefontaine. Obviously, I had no idea I’d end up going to Atleti and I enjoyed watching the game as much as I did the other day watching Liverpool-Sevilla (the UEFA Europa League final). I love watching football and I’ve always got a game on the TV, with some popcorn and Coca-Cola. I love the spectacle of it all, the players and how teams play. I’m a footballer who loves his football.
You arrived two years ago at a club that had just won the league but was still licking its wounds after the 4-1 defeat to Real in Lisbon. Was getting back to the final the challenge that fired the club the most? Well, the people here really wanted to play another final. And the same went for those of us who weren’t there and have never played a final. We’re delighted now, and we want to give it our all because it’s an opportunity we might not get again. We have to make the most of it.
It’s not easy to make two Champions League finals in three years, and yet it’s Real Madrid providing the opposition once again. It’s an opportunity and we have to win. It’s not going to be easy but anything can happen. We have to be ready from the first minute to the 90th or the 120th or whatever. We have to be mentally very strong. We have to keep on believing in ourselves and get the fans to keep on believing too, to be right behind the team and our gameplan.
Just like Munich? You were really under pressure in the second leg (a 2-1 win for Bayern). Yes, it was very tough, but you expect that. We were up against a great side, a club that has a lot of money to buy players, and we did a good job against them.
You’ve said that you need to play a ‘perfect game’ to win the final. What do Atletico have to do to achieve that? We need to go all out right from the start, play with a lot of intensity, press hard up front, defend well, make the most of the chances that come our way, score a goal and stop them from scoring. That’s all really (laughs).
When you signed for Atletico you said you needed a coach like Diego Simeone to progress as a player. Aside from scoring more goals, where do you feel you’ve improved? What has Cholo brought to the team? I think I’ve improved in every way in the last two years. I’m a more complete player now. I attack and defend and I cover more of the pitch now. I always want to compete too. I always want to win, whether it’s a match or a training session. Simeone is very good at getting his ideas across. Everybody knows what they need to do and is totally committed to the cause. When you go out on the pitch, he gives you a lot of confidence so you can give your all and play your best football. And that shows.
Have you spoken in the last few days to Raphael Varane or Karim Benzema? We haven’t texted each other yet, but I’m sure we will as the game approaches. We’ll wind each other up a little, but we’ll also wish each other luck. They’re both friends and I always wish them well, except on Saturday (laughs).
As a Frenchman, what does Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane mean to you? He was a player who made history for France. He is a French footballing idol and he won a World Cup and a European title for us. French football owes him a lot.
Is it a childhood dream for you to score in a final like the one you’re going to play on Saturday? Yes. Everyone wants to score in a final and get the winning goal, though it doesn’t matter if it’s Fernando Torres, Saul or whoever. All that counts is that we win and lift the trophy (laughs).
Is it another dream of yours to win EURO 2016 with France? Yes, that’s another objective. We’re very excited about playing in front of our fans. It’s going to be really nice and we’ll have to put on a good show, give our all and try to win. The fans will be right behind us and we can’t let the pressure get to us or think about it too much. We just need to play our game, try to have fun and enjoy it. That’s all.
France reached the last eight at the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014™, the first time in a few years they made it so far, and now they’re the favourites going into EURO 2016. Not many people expected us to get that far in the World Cup, and we played well. We were unlucky against Germany (France lost 1-0 in the quarter-finals). I watched that game again and we had some very good chances, though (Manuel) Neuer was the keeper of the moment back then and he saved everything. We’ve learned from that and I hope we can lift the trophy.