Griezmann breaks silence on bitter France exit

Antoine Griezmann no longer wants to speak. Approached by a reporter in Orlando, where he now plays for Orlando City in MLS, the former France leader declined any interview: “I don’t want to talk to anyone anymore.” At 35, he is nonetheless thriving on North American pitches with 15 goals in 21 matches.

Behind this silence lies an identifiable wound. After the 2022 World Cup and Hugo Lloris’s international retirement, Didier Deschamps had chosen Kylian Mbappé as the new captain of the Blues. A choice that had deeply affected Griezmann, then an undisputed pillar of the squad who would continue the adventure until Euro 2024. His father Alain had confided his son’s distress to the national team’s security chief, according to a revelation by JDD.

On RMC, former international Éric Di Meco put words to these difficult recent months: “We’re not discovering today that he was hurt, even offended, by the way he was treated by the France team at the end. The way he leaves nonetheless denotes a very great disappointment. I think he deserved a better exit. He wasn’t respected and treated as he should have been.” Di Meco tempers this, however: “I get the impression he’s not taking it too badly.”

Mbappé’s omnipotence within the French squad during this period would have also irritated other senior figures, according to Di Meco. Griezmann, for his part, preferred to turn the page without any bombastic statement, letting his silence speak for itself.

The former Atlético de Madrid striker must also contend with another sensitive matter: the new investigation targeting his former mentor Éric Olhats, currently sentenced to six years in prison for sexual abuse of minors and corruption of a minor. A case on which Griezmann apparently does not wish to comment either.

Under the Florida sun, “Grizi” displays a smile. But the scars from the end of his France adventure seem to remain very much present.