Lionel Messi’s role in Antoine Griezmann’s decision to reject Barcelona

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Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann says the presence of Lionel Messi was a factor in why he rejected Barcelona this summer.

Barcelona were forced to sell Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in football’s biggest-ever transfer deal during 2017 and targeted Atletico’s No.7 as his replacement a year later.

News in brief: The Antoine Griezmann & Barcelona saga in five key points…

  1. Neymar left Barcelona for PSG in 2017, reportedly to get out of Lionel Messi’s shadow.
  2. Messi, for his part, welcomed the idea of Griezmann joining Barcelona.
  3. Griezmann rejected Barcelona a year later, signing a new contract with Atletico Madrid in the process.
  4. It now seems Neymar and Griezmann had similar motives for rejecting Barcelona.
  5. Messi is Barcelona’s all-time top scorer (601 goals).

Griezmann, 27, fired Atletico to success in the Europa League last season while scoring 29 goals in all competitions, before signing an extension to his current deal until 2023, eliminating the £90m release clause Barcelona were hoping to trigger.

When quizzed about why he turned down the La Liga champions, Griezmann told French TV station Canal+, “Was I influenced by the fact that I would be playing for Messi as did Neymar and now [Philippe] Coutinho and [Luis] Suarez do? Yes maybe, unconsciously that was an influence.”

Griezmann did go on to note, however, the role played by manager Diego Simeone and others among the Atletico hierarchy..

He added: “But I would like to say that my teammates and people at the club did all they could for me to stay.

“They went to my house, they raised my salary, they had an interesting sporting project. They did everything.

“I know that I can help to grow the club and that the club can help me grow.”

After signing a new contract, Griezmann would go on to taste glory with the France national team as Les Bleus won the 2018 World Cup. But the former Real Sociedad star is yet to truly discover his form from last season, scoring six goals in 17 games so far this term.

It had been believed Griezmann would be leaving for Barcelona to further his championship chances after the World Cup but, in a television released in June entitled ‘The Decision‘, the Frenchman announced he would be staying with Atleti.

Was Griezmann’s public Barcelona snub video as cringe-worthy as some made out?

On the eve of the 2018 World Cup, Griezmann’s future was in doubt, and his next move was the talk of a footballing world. World Cup opener rolled by with no resolution for the Frenchman, with Russia beating Saudi Arabia 5-0.

But two days before France’s opening win over Australia, Griezmann released an hour-long television programme, entitled ‘The Decision‘ and culminating in his announcement that he had decided to sign a new contract.

Griezmann’s video – produced by a company owned by Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, no less – did not get the reception he might have hoped for, with reaction on social media ranging from frustration to ridicule.

Pique, for his part, defended the manner in which Griezmann confirmed his decision to stay at Atletico. Barcelona’s third-choice captain argued that the video had merit in that it shone a light on factors behind the scene influencing footballers’ career choices, writing on Twitter, “There will be people who will criticize you, because everything new can generate rejection. But the most important reflection left by the [The Decision] is that, sometimes, not everything they sell you is true.”

QUIZ: How many of Barcelona’s top 20 transfer signings can you name?

Had Griezmann joined Barcelona, his transfer fee would figure third in the list of La Blaugrana’s 20 most-expensive signings of all time. Text your knowledge with our Sporcle quiz, and let us know how you get on in the comments below or through Twitter @Squawka.


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