Seville (Spain) (AFP) – Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann said he is soaking up all the small moments he can during his last weeks at the club, ahead of the Copa del Rey final on Saturday. The 35-year-old French star, Atletico’s all-time top goalscorer, is leaving at the end of the season to join MLS side Orlando City.
Griezmann had an option to leave in March but wants to end his time at Atletico with silverware — either the Copa del Rey or the Champions League, or ideally both. On Tuesday, Atletico reached the Champions League semi-finals, eliminating his former club Barcelona, and in Seville, they face another former side of his in Real Sociedad.
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“I realise (these are my last moments), when I’m at Camp Nou playing, enjoying every tackle from a team-mate, a pass, a bit of skill, some of the chants from the fans, a message from Cholo (coach Diego Simeone) on the touchline,” Griezmann told reporters at La Cartuja stadium on Friday. “I’m soaking it all in, enjoying it a lot.”
Griezmann was at Barca during Atletico’s La Liga triumph in 2021, meaning his last trophies with the Rojiblancos came in 2018 — the Europa League and UEFA Super Cup. The veteran attacker, who won the World Cup with France in 2018 as well, said he was overjoyed to be playing in another final, in his 10th season at Atletico over two spells.
Griezmann said he was not wondering whether it would be his last final or not, with Atletico taking on Arsenal in the Champions League semis, aiming to reach the European showpiece in Budapest. “(I’m feeling) a lot of excitement, a lot of desire, happiness…I’m really happy to be able to play a final,” explained Griezmann. “I’m not thinking about whether it will be the last one or not, just that it’s a very important match, a final that very few players get to play. So it’s a huge joy, a source of pride, and I just can’t wait for tomorrow to arrive.”
Griezmann’s first club in Spain was Real Sociedad, who stand between him and another trophy. “I’m not thinking about that too much because otherwise I get very emotional, and I don’t want that…but I do owe them a huge amount,” said Griezmann, who played in La Real’s youth academy. “They opened doors for me that weren’t opened for me in France.”
– ‘Back on earth’ –
Simeone said his team had their feet back on the ground after the high of knocking out five-time Champions League winners Barcelona. “We know how beautiful it is for any athlete to play in a final. Both the Real Sociedad boys and our players have a huge dream of winning,” Simeone told reporters. “On Tuesday we played an important match, which put us in a very beautiful position, the Champions League semifinal. That can lift you up, but now we’re back down to earth — the earth is what counts. And we’re on the ground now. And we know the difficulties we’re going to face.”
Real Sociedad’s American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo said he held his opposite number Simeone, who has led Atletico for the last 14 years, in high esteem. “I have a very high respect for Cholo, the work he’s done in the past years is exceptional,” said the New Jersey native. Matarazzo was appointed in December as a relatively unknown figure in Spain, with La Real just above the relegation zone in La Liga, and helped resuscitate their season.
As well as reaching the cup final, defeating rivals Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals, they are fighting for a European qualification spot. “We have spoken about this in the past days, after our first conversation who would have thought months later we’d be playing the final?” he said. “We don’t set limits, we approach every day looking to build, be constructive and use every moment of every day to improve. That’s what’s helped us get to where we are now.”
Real Sociedad last lifted the trophy in the postponed 2020 final, played in 2021 because of the global pandemic, ending a 34-year wait to win the cup. Striker Mikel Oyarzabal netted the only goal from the penalty spot in a match played without supporters. “I’m nervous, I can’t lie, but it’s good,” he told reporters on the eve of his second final. “I think it tells you that you still want to achieve things.”
© 2024 AFP
