Deschamps' Reaction to Griezmann's Retirement from France
Didier Deschamps, the current French coach, who gave Antoine Griezmann his debut in 2014, stated on Monday that the Atlético de Madrid player, who has just announced his retirement from "Les Bleus," is "a monument of French football."
"Although his club career is not yet over, Antoine has been and will remain a monument of French football, one of the greatest players in its history. Besides the 44 goals and 30 assists, what stands out to me is the commitment he showed in the results we achieved over the past decade," Deschamps said.
"Grizou" is retiring from the French national team at the age of 33, after playing 137 matches, making him the third player with the most caps, behind Hugo Lloris' 145 and Lilian Thuram's 142.
In 10 years, he won the 2018 World Cup, the 2021 Nations League, and was a finalist in the 2016 Euro and the 2022 World Cup. Moreover, he was called up 84 times consecutively, from 2017 until early 2024, when he missed out due to injury. No one has yet matched such a streak.
Griezmann's departure also marks a change of era in Deschamps' squad, following the international retirements of Lloris, Olivier Giroud, Raphaël Varane, and the harsh doping ban hanging over Paul Pogba. All of them, along with Kylian Mbappé (now captain), were the backbone of the 2018 World Cup victory.
"Grizou" was the best assist provider in the history of the French national team, with 30 assists, and the fourth top scorer for "Les Bleus," with 44 goals, behind Kylian Mbappé (48), Thierry Henry (51), and Olivier Giroud (57).
According to "L'Équipe," Griezmann had been considering retiring from the national team at least since France's defeat in the semifinals of Euro 2024 in Germany against Spain—a tournament in which his starting position was questioned. He gradually made the decision after seeking advice from his two confidants: his sister and his wife.
The newspaper also recalls that one of the main factors that pushed him to leave the French jersey was that, following Lloris' retirement in 2023, the captain's armband was given to Kylian Mbappé instead of him, leaving him as vice-captain despite having more international experience than the Real Madrid forward.
