Antoine Griezmann’s (33) decision to retire from international football came as a shock. It came out of the bleu, surprising fans but also Didier Deschamps, who had planned to call up the Atletico Madrid forward for the upcoming international break, with games against Israel and Belgium in the UEFA Nations League.
As vice-captain and as a regular starter, Griezmann still occupied an important role when he made the decision to stop with Les Bleus. And perhaps, he still has a dream of reprising that role in a France jersey.
That is according to Romain Molina, who in a report has suggested that Griezmann has a plan. It is a plan inspired by Zinédine Zidane, who retired from international duty after Euro 2024, but then just over a year later made a return to the fold and was even named captain. He then went on to captain France in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, where Les Bleus lost in the final to Italy.
A ‘Zidane-like comeback?’
Griezmann, according to Molina, is waiting for things to go badly for the France national team, which could then lead to a recall and a “Zidane-like comeback”. For several years, it has been reported that Griezmann has felt undervalued by the national team, whilst he was also hurt by Deschamps’ decision to name Kylian Mbappé as captain, following Hugo Lloris’ retirement.
Should things “go poorly” it would allow Griezmann to return to the fold as some sort of saviour figure, putting him back in the heart of the project and allowing him to receive the recognition that he feels he deserves, but is yet to receive.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
