Antoine Griezmann retires from International football: A throwback to his journey

One of the best footballers ever to grace the pitch for the France national football team, Antoine Griezmann has announced his retirement from International football. With 137 appearances, Griezmann is the 4th highest-capped footballer for France with 44 goals and 38 assists by his name. 

C’est avec le cœur plein de souvenirs que je clos ce chapitre de ma vie. Merci pour cette magnifique aventure tricolore et à bientôt. 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/qpw8dvdtFt

— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) September 30, 2024

The 33-year-old won the 2018 World Cup and 2021 Nations League with France and earned many personal accolades with the Les Blues. This article will highlight the identifying events of his stellar national career that lasted for ten long years. 

2010 | U-19 Euro Champion with France

Antoine Griezmann debuted for the U-19 National team in 2010. In the same year, Griezmann won the U-19 EURO Championship with France. Griezmann did not play long for the U-19 team as he was promoted to the U-20 category in 2011. Griezmann had 3 goals in 7 matches with the France U-19 Football team. 

Most importantly, Griezmann lifted the U-19 UEFA EURO Championship with France by beating Spain in the final. He scored a brace and provided an assist in that tournament in a group match against Austria. 

2014 | Senior Debut 

Griezmann made his senior debut on 5th March 2014 in a friendly against the Netherlands and stormed into the 2014 World Cup squad under the managerial radar of senior team coach Didier Deschamps. Before flying to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, Griezmann scored 3 goals in 4 friendly appearances for France. He booked the ticket for Brazil as one of the most promising players heading into that tournament. 

However, he could not live up to the expectations in the World Cup. He only started three games and one of those games was against the eventual champions Germany in the quarter-final. Griezmann could not find the net for once and his 2014 World Cup campaign was one to forget with zero goal contributions by his name. 

2016 | UEFA EURO 2016

Griezmann took over the world with his wizardry on the pitch from the 2016 EURO that was held in France. He proved himself as the most dependable player for Les Blues from the very first match against Romania. He did not get to score but his off-the-ball movements and playmaking abilities filled the team and the fans with hopes. 

Griezmann only had one goal in the group stage which came against Albania. From the Round of 16, Griezmann started to showcase his goal-scoring performance as well. He scored both goals for France in a 2-1 against Ireland in the RO16 to qualify for the quarter-final. France defeated Iceland by 5-2 in the quarter-final and Griezmann scored one goal with 2 assists by his name and that solidified his playmaking role in the team. 

🇫🇷 The Griezmann finish that sent France to the EURO 2016 final #OTD against Germany 🥳@FrenchTeam | @AntoGriezmann pic.twitter.com/CgVlsD6YNu

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 7, 2022

His best performance in the tournament came against Germany in the semi-final as Griezmann pulled off a brace to kick Germany out of the tournament. His individual brilliance in this match is still considered one of the best performances in International football. Griezy's 'telephone' celebration after scoring a goal in this tournament was also something that made him a fan-favorite. 

OFFICIAL: @AntoGriezmann is #EURO2016 player of the tournament! #FRA @equipedefrance @Atleti https://t.co/i9qDBsorVI pic.twitter.com/cR8eh8Drio

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 11, 2016

However, France was defeated by Portugal in the final by a narrow 1-0 scoreline. Griezmann won the EURO 2016 Golden Boot Award for being the top goalscorer of the tournament with six goals. Griezmann was officially named the Best Player of the Tournament as well.

2018 | FIFA World Cup 2018

Griezmann's quest for a trophy with Les Blues ended in his second World Cup tournament as France went on to win the 2018 World Cup by beating Croatia in the final in Moscow. Griezmann was exceptional for France with 8 goal contributions throughout the tournament. He scored 4 goals and provided 4 assists for his teammates. 

Griezmann scored a goal against Argentina in France's 4-3 win in the Round of 16. In the quarter-finals, Griezmann contributed to both goals of his team in France's 2-0 win over Uruguay. He scored one and assisted the other. Griezmann also assisted France's solitary goal against Belgium in the semi-final that led France to the final. 

5 - Antoine Griezmann 🇫🇷 est impliqué dans 5 buts lors de cette Coupe du Monde (3 buts, 2 assists), aucun Bleu n’a fait mieux sur une édition lors des 50 dernières années. Maté. #CM2018 pic.twitter.com/WfAaLBSxFA

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) July 14, 2018

Griezmann scored the penalty in the final that gave the lead to France in the 38th minute as the game was on a scoreline of 1-1. He provided the assists for both goals that Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe scored to ensure France's title for the second time in history. 

Griezmann was named the Man of the Match in the final. He was also the second-highest goal-scorer and joint-highest assist provider in the tournament.

🥈 Silver Boot winner
🅰️ Joint-top assister
🥉 Bronze Ball winner
🥇 MOTM in the Final

🏆 What Antoine Griezmann did for Les Bleus at the 2018 #WorldCup was exceptional. Happy 30th birthday to a French great 🎁@AntoGriezmann | @FrenchTeam pic.twitter.com/c2rMiBXy8W

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 21, 2021

2021-2024

Greizmann gradually turned more into an Attacking Midfielder than a traditional forward for France. His goalscoring tally in big tournaments dropped from the 2020 EURO but until he announced his retirement on 30th September 2024, he continued to be one of the most instrumental players for national coach Deschamps.

Griezmann in worldcup 2022 dropped one of the greatest worldcup campaigns of all time. France will never be able to replace him.
pic.twitter.com/xlK16slNpe

— Hashím (@jackhatesgriz_) September 30, 2024

He was also part of the France squad that won the 2021 Nations League by beating Spain in the Final. However, in the 2022 World Cup France was defeated by Argentina in the final and failed to defend their title. But Griezmann created 7 big chances in the tournament which was the highest alongside Messi. He mostly played as an attacking midfielder and controlled his team's play with his exquisite playmaking skills. 

Griezmann ends his international career as one of the greatest footballers to play for France. What he has done throughout his career can not only be justified by the stats because Antoine Griezmann is the kind of player who delivers way more on the pitch than mere stats.