Atletico Madrid has definitively bought the services of Antoine Griezmann from Barcelona. The Frenchman will be part of Madrid until 2026. Griezmann was part of Diego Simeone's team before joining Barcelona in 2019. His adventure with the Catalans proved complicated, as the striker scored 35 goals in 102 games, before to rejoin Atletico on loan.
The 31-year-old has scored 3 goals and 2 assists in 11 games that he has played this season. However, it should be noted that Griezmann has been activated as a starter in only 3 of them. This has not come as a result of injuries or the choices of coach Simeone, and in fact, the reason is quite specific.
According to sports journalist Guillem Balague, in the loan contract between Atletico and Barcelona, a specific condition forced Atletico Madrid to buy the midfielder for 40 million euros, only if the latter played less than 45 minutes in 50% of the matches would be activated. Although apparently a strange condition, the parties agreed on the contract and this "opened up work" for coach Simeone.
The Argentinian technician has used Griezmann as a substitute after the 60th minute in 8 out of 11 games this season. In this way, the terms of the contract have been preserved. However, the Frenchman will now officially be an Atletico player, and that means he can be activated for the full 90 minutes in every challenge.
The striker will in all likelihood play his first meeting as a Madrid player in the Champions League, against Club Brugge. Griezmann must perform well on the eve of the World Cup, to ensure the place of the starter in the French representative. Despite the fact that the attacker is one of coach Deschamps' confidants, the competition is quite strong among the "turkeys".
