After the international retirement of Hugo Lloris, Antoine Griezmann hoped, perhaps, to recover the captain’s armband. But Didier Deschamps opted for Kylian Mbappé, 7 years his junior. The number 7 of the France team had trouble accepting this decision.
On Téléfoot, this Sunday, he claims to have taken “one day, two days” to digest the decision of the coach of the Blues. “There was no question of stopping the selection, it didn’t cross my mind,” he says. But, once the disappointment is over, he says he is “all in with Kylian”. “I’m trying to do my best to help him. »
Antoine Griezmann has another dream: that of competing, in the jersey of the France team, at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. At 32, the player hammers home his wish to participate in this competition, in which he has not never took part. He still has to be called up by the coach and then released by his club, Atlético de Madrid.
As the Olympics are not part of the FIFA calendar, clubs can object to the summoning of their players to selection over this period. If he has not yet spoken with his coach and his leaders, he said he was ready to put “extraordinary pressure” on his club to be made available to the Blues for the tournament. “It’s a dream, a goal, it’s in France, it’s to represent France. The Olympics, everyone watches them on TV and even everyone does them on vacation with friends or family. I want to,” he hammered.
He could then find himself alongside Kylian Mbappé, 25 years old. The Paris Saint-Germain striker had also expressed his wish to participate in this competition. “I always said that it was a dream for me to play them, but I also said that I would not force, that I would be at the disposal of the club, because it is not a Fifa competition”, he assured.
It remains to be seen what the coach of the French Olympic team will decide. Because the men’s Olympic football tournament is reserved for players aged 23 or under. However, three exceptions are possible for each formation. A place that therefore seeks Antoine Griezmann.
As for his end of career in the selection, the footballer assures him on Téléfoot: “I will have to be released. Stopping the Blues, impossible. Indeed, if the goal of the Olympics is in his head, that of the 2026 World Cup is not far away. “If I have the level, I want to go as far as possible and never stop. And, when the time is right, the France team will lose one of the greatest players in its history.