Farewell Antoine Griezmann, only now will France discover you were irreplaceable | Philippe Auclair

His talent, skill and character make him one of his country’s all-time greats, but ‘Grizi’ still suffers from a lack of appreciation

Not all of the beaten Bleus headed for the tunnel of the Parc des Princes at the final whistle of France’s 3-1 defeat by Italy on 6 September. One of them, Antoine Griezmann, trotted around the whole periphery of the pitch on his own to applaud the crowd. We did not know then, as he must have done, that his 136th appearance for Les Bleus – there’d be a 137th three days later in Lyon, an 11-minute cameo against Belgium – was his last chance to say adieu in the French capital. There was no need for fireworks. No video of his finest moments in blue would be shown on a giant screen, no memento would be given to him in the centre circle. All he desired was a last, private moment of communion with a French public to whom he’d given so much, but which is only starting to appreciate how good he was. No, not “how good”. How great.

This will seem absurd. France have taken part in three major finals over the past eight years, and Griezmann could lay a claim to have been the best player – not just for France, but overall – in each of these tournaments. Yet fewer French people than you think would put him in the top five of the men who put on the blue jersey. Zinedine Zidane would be fighting for top spot with Michel Platini, which seems about right, given how both came to be associated with the first triumphs of the national team they captained. Qatar 2022’s Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappé, though still only 25, would be a natural choice for younger fans.

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