Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann would not discuss his future after Atletico Madrid beat Marseille 3-0 in the Europa League final but did say he was among the top three players in the world.
Griezmann, 27, scored either side of half-time in a dominant performance by Atleti, and would only say his aim was to “win more trophies” without being drawn on whether that would be with his current club or elsewhere following links to Barcelona.
“It is not the moment to talk about my future, I must enjoy having won a trophy, and celebrate it with the fans,”Griezmann said. “The truth is this was a dream for me, to win a trophy with Atletico, with [Diego Simeone] and my friends and teammates.
“Your feeling for a club gets stronger every game, every year. I’ve been here four years, and I have enjoyed today with the fans, the people of the club, my relationship with them is strong, which is why I give everything on the pitch.”
The France international, who was linked with a move to Manchester United last summer before opting to extend his contract with Atletico, said that his standing in world football was down to the coaching of Diego Simeone.
“It’s also true that I have learnt a lot with Cholo [Simeone],” he said. “I am a better player thanks to him. I am among the best three players in the world because of him.”
Griezmann, who grew up near Lyon but left early to pursue his career at Real Sociedad, previously had just the 2014 Spanish Supercopa to show for four seasons with Atletico. And his performance was another reminder of how appealing his €100 million release clause is for other clubs to prise him away from Atleti.
“When I left home at 14 years of age it was to win trophies, to enjoy nights like this,” Griezmann said on beIN SPORTS on the final whistle. “This is the second, after a Supercopa, and I hope I can win more trophies.”
The pitchside interview ended quickly amid joyful celebrations from Atletico’s players and staff, with further questions over Griezmann’s future left hanging.
Both his goals were very coolly taken, with careful finishes which gave his international teammate and Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda no chance to save.
“I don’t know if it is cold-blood in the finish, or confidence,” he said. “But I was able to help the team to win this trophy.”
Griezmann accepted that Atletico had been forced to work very hard by a Marseille side who started the game on the front foot.
“They were very attacking, worked well, but we were also doing our thing,” he said. “We did very good work defensively, and took advantage of the mistakes of the opponent.”
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