Antoine Griezmann biography

is a French superstar forward who plays for both the

and

. He has always aspired to be a professional football player, and he is now fulfilling his dream.

His start in football was not easy; he was turned down by a number of youth clubs due to his physical build until 2005, when he was discovered by Real Sociedad. In this article, we take a look at the French superstar’s biography.

Despite the fact that many critics think that Griezmann is struggling to adapt at Barcelona, others believe that he is one of several offensive players whose skill set will ultimately go somewhat under the radar.

Antoine was born to a rich father who was a political figure in France. His father was a former town councilor who was rich enough to afford young Antoine everything he needed as a child. His mother however, was a hospital cleaner.

His football instinct came through his Portuguese origin. Antoine's grandfather Amaro Lopes was a hulking central defender who once represented the Portuguese team.

All You Need to Know About Antoine Griezmann Biography

Mâcon is not just a city; it is the birthplace of great personalities such as the writer and politician Alphonse de Lamartine or the historian Anne Brenon. From that town, located to the east of France, comes

, who records March 21, 1991 as his date of birth.

Antoine Griezmann nationality

is French.

Since he first saw light, his family knew that the current Barcelona player was destined to be a footballer. The father and grandfather were dedicated to the same sport and he could not break the tradition.

Antoine Griezmann childhood

was so interesting as his first steps in this sport were made at his hometown club, UF Mâcon, where they still remember that, despite his body fragility, he had the potential to become a world-class player.

Antoine Griezmann Information

In this section of Antoine Griezmann biography, we will share more general information about him such as his physical stats to let you know him even better.

Antoine Griezmann Bio

• Full Name: Antoine Griezmann

• Nickname: Le Petit Prince

• Profession: Professional Footballer

Antoine Griezmann Physical Stats

• Weight: 64 Kg

• Height: 1.76 m

• Eye Color: Blue

• Hair Color: Light Brown

Antoine Griezmann Football Information

• Foot: Left-footed

• Playing Position: Forward

• Jersey Number: 7

• Professional Debut: 2009

Antoine Griezmann Date of Birth and Personal Information

• Date of Birth: 21 March 1991

• Place of Birth: Mâcon, France

• Zodiac Sign: Aries

• Wife: Erika Choperena (M. 2017)

• Father: Alain Griezmann

• Mother: Isabelle Griezmann

• Siblings: Théo Griezmann, Maud Griezmann

• Children: Mia Griezmann, Amaro Griezmann, Alba Griezmann

• Religion: Roman Catholic

Antoine Griezmann Early Life

Talking about

Antoine Griezmann bio

, it should be mentioned that he was born in Mâcon, Saône-et-Loire, in the commune of Mâcon. His father, Alain, a community councillor, is descended from a family from Münster, Germany, hence they have Germanic surname.

Isabelle, Antoine’s mother, a former hospital employee who managed the cleaning crew, is of Portuguese origin, and her father, Amaro Lopes, played football for F.C. Paços de Ferreira. Amaro Lopes immigrated to France with his wife Carolina in 1957 to work in the building industry, where Isabelle was born, and died in 1992 when his grandson was still a baby. Griezmann used to spend his summer vacations in Paços de Ferreira, Portugal, when he was a kid.

Griezmann began his career with UF Mâcon, his hometown club. During his time there, he went on several trials with professional clubs in the hopes of earning a place in one of their youth academies, but he was turned down because of his small stature and light body.

Griezmann featured in a friendly match against the Paris Saint-Germain youth academy in Paris in 2005 while on trial with Montpellier.

Several clubs, including

of Spain, whose scouts were in attendance, were impressed. Griezmann welcomed the club's offer of a one-week trial in San Sebastián after the match. Later, he was given a second week at the club. Following that, the club approached his parents and officially gave him a youth contract.

Griezmann's parents were originally hesitant to send their son to Spain, however after receiving convincing promises, they agreed. Griezmann, despite being born and raised in non-Basque regions of France, was theoretically available to play for

because he spent time as a teenager with a Basque club.

Antoine Griezmann Profile

Antoine Griezmann career started at Sociedad’s youth setup in 2005, and continued at the club for four years.

He worked hard and overcame his deficiencies and finally got his break in 2009. He made his competitive debut in 2009-10, and played games, ahead of making his competitive debut, in the pre-season, where he scored five goals in four matches, making a strong case for selection for the league matches.

In 2010, Griezmann signed his first professional contract with Sociedad committing the next 5 years to the Spanish club and had a release clause worth €30 million.

Griezmann scored his first goal in his maiden competitive match against Huesca in 2009. He put in fantastic performances that led to his team qualifying for

. His performances attracted many clubs like

and

, but he continued with Real Sociedad.

The Frenchman signed a five-year contract at the Camp Nou, including a lofty release clause of $900 million.

Style of Play

Griezmann is a fast, innovative, and flexible left-footed wing with a goal-scoring eye who has been defined as a "team player" who can play in or behind the main offensive line due to his technical abilities, capacity to move deep and connect play between forwards and midfielders, or his ability to score numerous goals.

Griezmann, despite his diminutive size, is an effective finisher with either foot from both inside and outside the field, as well as strong in the air and with his head.

Reception

In addition to his goal-scoring and goal-creating skills, he's been lauded for his work ethic, offensive movement, tactical sense, and ability to read the game, which, when combined with his speed, versatility, and endurance, helps him to make powerful attacking attempts to break the defensive line.

Some of his best plays stem from his extraordinary footballing IQ and utilizing brains and broad with sheer pace to beat his opponent and set up his teammates at the same time.

Griezmann started off his career as a left-winger, he is now more of a striker that has enough positional freedom to roam the final third almost to his heart’s extent.

However, after joining the Blaugranas, Griezmann referenced in a revealing interview with UEFA's website when he said he can't read the runs of teammates Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Dembele and that he "lacks the confidence" to know when to shoot or when to pass.

Part of the problem was that Messi already owns the No. 10 position Griezmann used to occupy at Atletico Madrid and the role he traditionally fills for the France national team. Moreover, he had to adapt to a completely different style of play.

Since his signing at Camp Nou, he did, of course, show signs of his quality. But for a player who has been signed for €120 million, these signs aren’t enough.

Goal Celebration

Scoring goals is arguably the most enjoyable aspect of any football game, whether it is played on a playground or in a competitive match. Reaching the back of the net can be a thrilling experience for a player, and they often demonstrate their delight by conducting a celebration.

Antoine Griezmann of Barcelona is noted for his one-of-a-kind celebrations. Unlike Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and others who have a trademark celebration, Griezmann wants to do new stuff.

He told the Mirror one of his dance moves was based on a movement from Drake's music video "Hotline Bling." “I began doing it at Atletico, but I couldn't do it versus Albania because the passion was too high, and the same thing happened with the first goal against Ireland, but then I recalled it and did it.”

The salsa was also another famous Griezmann celebration. The Frenchman would stick his arms out as if he were doing a salsa pose. He would then emulate the move by dancing about and wringing his paws. His most recent celebration was the ‘L,' which he began after the World Cup.

Fortnite, a popular online video game, popularized this move. In that game, the L, also known as the "Loser," was usually shown as one of the winning dance routines. Swing your hips from side to side while raising one arm at shoulder height and make the letter ‘L' between your index and thumb.

Antoine Griezmann Outside Football

Griezmann has starred in many football-themed TV advertisements and is a brand ambassador for Head & Shoulders shampoo and Gillette.

In 2017, he was named an international brand representative for Huawei, a Chinese smartphone maker, and he participated in advertising campaigns for the Huawei P10 smartphone. In the famous French novelty song "Logobitombo (Corde à sauter)," he has a dance move titled after him.

Aside from his professional abilities, he enjoys traveling with his wife and child. Miami and Jamaica are his favorite vacation spots. Griezmann established his own sports business, Grizi Esport, in January 2020. Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite, and FIFA teams have all been acquired by the organization.

Antoine Griezmann personal life

In this section of

Antoine Griezmann biography

, we will take a look at his personal life and talk about some aspects like his family, children and philanthropy.

Family, Children and Relationships

Behind a great man there is a great woman and in the case of the Barcelona forward. That’s Erika Choperena. "The boss" as the Little Prince calls her, became his wife in May 2017 at the Galiana Palace in Toledo.

From this well-known relationship, which had its origins when Griezmann was in San Sebastián, Mia and Amaro were born, the young children of the French striker. "Because she is the one who takes me everything.

There are works at home and she is the one who handles everything, the papers of the house, of the club ... I forget the paperwork. So I only think about football. And that comes in handy for me," Griezmann acknowledged some time ago in an interview.

Philanthropy

This part of Antoine Griezmann biography is about his philanthropic activities. One of the most urgent concerns in France is the provision of food to those who are in dire need, since there are people who are severely malnourished in many nations.

Although

Antoine Griezmann life

story

has been kept out of the spotlight, he has quietly helped others in need. The foundation 'Restos du Cur' aims to eradicate poverty in the French population by distributing free food to all who are most in need. To support the charity, Barcelona forward had partnered up with 'Les Enfoires,' a party made up of numerous musicians and celebrities.

According to L'Equipe, Griezmann has recorded a portion of a song called Chanson des Restos, which was released in 2017.

Last year, Griezmann took part in a 24-hour gaming marathon that included a host of celebrity guests. Griezmann enlisted the support of a couple of his prominent footballing partners, including Paul Pogba and Ousmane Dembele.

Griezmann invited Pogba for a round or two of Call of Duty: Warzone on his Grizi Esport Twitch site, before Dembele (who had previously been in trouble with the Barcelona leadership due to his unhealthy gaming habits) entered the channel to play Football Manager.

In addition to Valorant, Fortnite, and League of Legends, the 30-year-old has dabbled in other titles.

Legal issues

Griezmann was banned from France's national teams until December 31, 2013, alongside four other youth stars, for disciplinary reasons related to a late night out before training in November 2012. Throughout that period, he contemplated moving to his ancestral homeland of Portugal.

Griezmann sparked outrage on social media on December 17, 2017, when he posted a picture of himself posing as a Harlem Globetrotter, equipped with darkened skin and an afro wig. Griezmann quickly removed the posts and apologized after facing harsh criticism.

Antoine Griezmann Career Statistics

In this part of

Antoine Griezmann biography

, his career statistics are discussed. We will take a look at Antoine Griezmann career stats, both as an international and club player.

Club

He made his professional debut in a Copa del Rey match on September 2, 2009, when Sociedad lost 2-0 to

. He scored his first career goal in a 2-0 victory over Huesca on September 27.

On August 29, 2010, Griezmann made his first-division debut, and two months later he scored his first league goal in a 3-0 victory.

In his six-year stint with Read Sociedad (2009-2014), the French striker made 202 contributions, scoring 52 goals and assisting on 18 others. On July 28, 2014, rival La Liga side Atlético Madrid paid €30 million for the up-and-coming star's services, with the Frenchman signing a six-year deal.

Griezmann scored 133 goals and added 50 assists in 257 games for Atletico Madrid, including a brace in the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League final as

defeated

. FC Barcelona announced that it has signed the French phenomenon on June 12, 2019, after triggering his €120 million buyout clause. Since joining Barcelona, he has played 88 appearances and has scored 29 goals.

Griezmann initially stayed with Real Sociedad's French scout while attending school in Bayonne across the border and practicing at the club's headquarters in San Sebastián in the evenings. He had to wait a long time to get into Real Sociedad's first team, but after four years in the club's youth system, he was called up by Martn Lasarte for Real Sociedad's pre-season squad in 2009–10.

Griezmann scored five goals in four preseason games, and due to an injury to the team's regular left-winger, Lasarte chose him to start the season (unusually for a youth graduate, bypassing the reserve team altogether.

Griezmann made his professional debut in the team's Copa del Rey match against Rayo Vallecano on September 2, 2009, as a 77th-minute replacement in a 2–0 loss. He made his league debut four days later as a substitute against Real Murcia.

In a 2–0 victory over Huesca on September 27, he made his first professional start and scored his first professional goal. Griezmann scored his second goal of the season in a 2–0 victory over

two weeks later.

He scored goals in back-to-back games against

and Recreativo de Huelva in November 2009. The only goal of the game came against the latter club.

Griezmann persisted with the squad for the remainder of the season, contributing two more goals in victories over Cádiz and Numancia. Real Sociedad was promoted to La Liga for the 2010–11 season after winning the cup.

On April 8, 2010, Griezmann negotiated his first formal five-year deal with Real Sociedad. On August 29, 2010, he made his La Liga start for the club against

.

On the 25th of October 2010, he scored his first La Liga goal against Deportivo de La Corua. In the final game of the 2012–13 season, Griezmann scored against Deportivo yet again.

Griezmann was transferred from Real Sociedad to Atlético Madrid on July 28, 2014, for a fee estimated to be equivalent to his €30 million (£24 million) buy-out clause. In the same day, he completed his medical test and signed a six-year contract.

Griezmann made his professional debut on August 19th, in a 1–1 draw away to

in the first leg of the 2014 Supercopa de Espana, replacing Saul after 57 minutes.

On September 17, he scored his first goal for the club against Olympiacos in a Champions League group stage match, which Atlético ultimately lost 3–2. Griezmann scored a brace in a 4–2 victory over

on November 1, his first league goals for the club.

Griezmann scored the second goal in a 2–0 home win over Real Sociedad on April 7, 2015, but the celebrations were held to a minimum out of respect for his former side. He scored a brace against Elche in a 3–0 home win two weeks later, bringing his league total to 22, surpassing Karim Benzema for the most goals by a French player in a single Spanish top-division season.

He scored 22 goals in 37 games this season, making him the sole Atlético player and one of three forwards in the LFP Awards' Team of the Year, alongside

and

.

Griezmann scored the only goal in Atlético's 1-0 victory over Real Madrid on February 27, 2016. He scored both goals in a 2–0 quarter-final second leg victory over holders Barcelona at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on April 13, knocking them out of the Champions League.

He scored the game-winning away goal against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the semi-final at the Allianz Arena on May 3 to take Atlético to the final.

With his team down 1–0 against Real Madrid in the Champions League final at Milan's San Siro on May 28, Griezmann struck the crossbar with a penalty two minutes into the second half. After the match finished 1–1 after extra time, he scored in the penalty shootout, but Atlético lost 5–3.

Griezmann signed a contract extension with Atlético on June 19, 2018, until 2023, following months of rumours linking him with a €100 million (£88 million) move to Barcelona, which came after Atlético referred Barcelona to FIFA over a suspected irregular approach for Griezmann in December 2017. This came just days after he turned down a transfer to the Camp Nou.

On social media, he sent a message to Atlético Madrid. "My fans, my team, MY HOME!!!" he wrote in Spanish, French, and English, and included a video of him walking around Madrid.

Despite this, Griezmann announced his departure from Atlético Madrid on May 14, 2019, after being closely linked with Barcelona, who allegedly intended to pay the club's €120 million buy-out clause.

Griezmann was introduced at the Camp Nou on 14 July and given the number 17 jersey, and he made his debut against

in a pre-season friendly in Japan. On the same day, some enraged Atlético Madrid supporters defaced Griezmann's plaque outside the Wanda Metropolitano after his transfer to the rivals.

Atlético subsequently lodged a formal complaint with La Liga, whose chief, Javier Tebas, later claimed that "it is necessary to prohibit [Griezmann's] move," but stressed that "La Liga are [yet] to determine [the] course of action."

 Griezmann made his official professional debut for Barcelona against Athletic Bilbao on August 16th, losing 1–0. Griezmann scored a brace and added an assist in his home debut against

on August 25, resulting in a 5–2 victory.

On November 27, 2019, he scored his first Champions League goal for the club in a 3–1 victory over

after replacing injured Ousmane Dembélé after 26 minutes of the first half, assisted by Messi.

Griezmann scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in a 1–1 away tie versus Alavés on November 1, 2020. Griezmann scored a brace in a 3–2 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the 2020–21 Supercopa de Espaa final on January 17, 2021. Griezmann scored twice and assisted twice as Barcelona came back from a 2–0 deficit to win 5–3 in extra time against

in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey on February 3rd.

International

After being spotted by the France team's manager in February 2014, Didier Deschamps called him and gave him a place with the blues. In 2014, Antoine Griezmann competed in his first World Cup, which was held in Brazil.

For his mental strength, he is respected and valued. After that, he competed in the Euro 2016 cup and went on to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup, much to the delight of the French people. He has played 89 times for the France National Team and has scored 35 goals.

On February 23, 2010, he was called to the France Youth Team squad that would face

in two friendly games. Griezmann made his junior professional debut on March 2nd, playing in a 0–0 tie with Ukraine. He netted the game-winning goal in the 88th minute of the return leg two days later, giving France a 2–1 victory.

Griezmann was enlisted in Coach Francis Smerecki's 18-man squad for the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Tournament on June 7, 2010. He scored twice and added an assist in the team's 5–0 victory over

in the championship's second group stage game. In addition, he was selected to the Competition's All-Star Team.

On September 28, 2010, he was invited side for friendly games versus

and the Juventus youth team in Italy. Griezmann, on the other hand, didn't get to play in either match and was sent home immediately due to a thigh injury sustained during a practice session.

Griezmann was called to the 21-man team for the Under-20 World Cup on June 10, 2011. On July 30, 2011, he made his professional debut in the team's 4–1 loss to hosting

. Griezmann netted the match-winning goal in France's 1–0 victory over Ecuador in the Round of 16 on August 10.

Griezmann was called up to France's senior team by manager Didier Deschamps on February 27, 2014, for a game against the

at the Stade de France. On March 5, he won his first cap, starting the 2–0 home win and performing the first 68 minutes.

He was selected to Deschamps' 2014 FIFA National Squad. He celebrated his first international goal for France on June 1st in a 1–1 tie versus

in Nice. In France's final warm-up match, against Jamaica on June 8, he scored two more goals as a late replacement for Olivier Giroud, the final two in an 8–0 victory.

He was named to play in France's first World Cup game, succeeding the hospitalized Franck Ribéry on the left side of the attack in a 3–0 victory over Honduras in Porto Alegre. In the last 16 against Nigeria, his pressure resulted in a late own goal by Joseph Yobo, giving France a 2–0 win.

In the quarter-finals, France was defeated by eventual champions

. Griezmann was assigned to France's squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 championship, and he played the first game, a 2–1 victory over

. Griezmann came on in position of Giroud in the second half and headed Adil Rami's cross with the first shot on goal in the last minute to open a 2–0 victory.

Griezmann has also been named to France's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Russia. In France's 2–0 quarter-final victory over Uruguay, Griezmann first aided Raphael Varane's goal from a corner and then scored a goal himself with a shot from outside the field after Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera made a mistake.

Griezmann collaborated on several goals in France's 4–2 win over Croatia in the final. Griezmann was named player of the match for his contributions, as well as the competition's third best player behind

and

, winning the Bronze Ball.

Antoine Griezmann honors

Real Sociedad

• Segunda División: 2009–10

Atlético Madrid

• UEFA Europa League: 2017–18

• UEFA Super Cup: 2018

• Supercopa de España: 2014

France U19

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2010

France

• FIFA World Cup: 2018

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