The Atletico Madrid and France ace enjoyed a fine year but came up just short when it mattered and that cost him top spot in our list of the game's top talents
GOAL 50
When Antoine Griezmann finally hangs up his boots, he may reflect upon 2016 as the year that might have been.
The Frenchman came within a penalty shootout of winning the Champions League with Atletico Madrid and just the width of a post from being remembered as a winner of Euro 2016 as opposed to its unlucky loser. Instead, Diego Simeone’s men fell to city rivals Real and Eder won the European Championship in extra-time after Andre-Pierre Gignac had struck the upright for France.
Football is a game of 90 minutes decided by incidents that last a moment and, on the very biggest stage, Griezmann was on the wrong end of those moments. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, is the master of stealing the spotlight – and that is why the Portuguese is the winner of the 2016 Goal 50 and Griezmann placed third.
However, that should not detract from a year in which the Macon native burst onto the world scene, probably to remain at the peak of the game for the remainder of his career. He has enjoyed 12 months of almost unremitting brilliance, although his failure to convert a penalty during normal time in the Champions League final or lead Les Bleus to European glory is something that threatens to haunt him.
“After the final of the Euros, I had a difficult week thinking about the final of the Champions League and the European Championship,” he admitted to Goal, though there should be no sense of shame at twice falling at the final hurdle.
He has provided elegance to an Atletico Madrid side more noted for its brashness, netting 27 times for the Vicente Calderon outfit over the course of the last year, including a burst of seven successive Liga matches – a run the type of which is only associated with an elite handful.
The contribution he has made for his club side has been immense as he has provided the silken touch in attack to complement that team’s well-organised defensive line. Head coach Diego Simeone is certainly not ready to play down his star player’s achievements.
“For me, last year Griezmann was the best player in Europe, I have no doubt about what I say," the Argentine said in September. “He reached the finals of both the Champions League and Euro 2016, scoring many goals, and scored many goals in La Liga too. The consistency he has makes him stronger. I hope he is up there for the Ballon d'Or, as he is in great form, and will get even better if he continues like this.”
The attacker’s multi-dimensional talents were most impressively showcased when Atleti had their backs to the wall in the Champions League against Barcelona – a quality that Simeone would no doubt have appreciated. Indeed, for all of his technical talents, his industry, tenacity and efficiency are all of the mental hallmarks the Argentine demands.
Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Catalunya, the Frenchman turned in a virtuoso display at Vicente Calderon to turn the tie in Atleti's favour. Playing as a second striker, where all his talents are best exploited, he linked play superbly for his side but showed a clinical edge that carried his side through to the semis.
He might only stand at 1.76 metres tall, yet there are few better players in the air. Barca learned this to their cost when he headed home a Saul Niguez cross to give them the lead on that April evening before securing Atleti’s place in the last four by squeezing home a late penalty.
Of course, he was to be the decisive factor in the last four against Bayern Munich, with his goal at the Allianz Arena enough to carry Atleti into the final.
At San Siro, Simeone’s men stumbled having recovered from a goal down, with Griezmann on this occasion coming up short from the penalty spot in normal time as his effort cannoned off the underside of the bar. He made amends by showing terrific bravery to score in the eventual penalty shootout but Ronaldo, whose overall display had been far less impressive than that of his French rival, stole the headlines by waiting until the last to convert the winner.
It was a prime example of the Portuguese’s unerring ability to seize the moment at the most decisive time and is the one area Griezmann must look to improve in 2017. Happily, he has the drive to do so.
“It’s good to be as high in the classification as third,” he said. “I hope to be second next year and first in two years.
“Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two monsters, two legends. In 10 years, the world will say that no-one will ever be able to equal them. I’m going to try and get as close as possible and to continue to raise my level each year to become the best player possible.”
The Frenchman, though, has shown he can excel on two fronts. During the summer, he transformed into a superhero in his homeland as Griezmann became ‘Griezou’ for a month as he spearheaded France’s ultimately unsuccessful push to win Euro 2016.
Although it was Dimitri Payet who stole the spotlight on the opening night with a stunning winner against Romania, the tournament was ultimately dominated by the team's 25-year-old forward, and had France beaten Portugal in the final, then he would have gone down in history, mentioned in the same breath as Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane, the two undoubted doyens of the game in l’Hexagone.
That kind of reverence may yet come, though, as he has shown the potential to be a leader for his national side like the greats of previous generations.
After a slow start at the Euros, he exploded into life at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome, where a late header carried a lethargic France to victory over Albania, sparking a dazzling run of form that saw him produce match-winning performances against Republic of Ireland and Germany during a run of five games in which he scored six times and clocked up a couple of assists.
With Ronaldo off injured in the final, the stage seemed set for a home victory reminiscent of Euro 84 and World Cup 98, but Fernando Santos’ Portugal were too defensively astute and pinched victory with a well-organised but phenomenally dour display that characterised their tournament.
Griezmann would take home the Best Player prize, but the real glory would be Ronaldo’s. Even in his absence, this was – again – to be the Portuguese’s moment, with the Madrid striker defying knee ligament damage to stalk the touchline throughout, ensuring his fair share of the spotlight after a largely indifferent tournament.
After two such high-profile setbacks in the space of two months, it would be understandable if his level had dropped at the start of this term. There has been little sign of a hangover, though, with his recent double over FK Rostov highlighting just how formidable a finisher he has become.
He is currently outperforming Ronaldo this season but the real test is likely to come in May. The Goal 50 winner was decisive at the key times last term and now Griezmann must learn from that to be decisive when it really, really matters. Then, he can realise his goal of becoming the world’s best player.
