Attacker’s creativity is undimmed despite taking up a deeper role in Qatar with two assists in the win against England
So in the end the France v England World Cup quarter-final did not come down to the putative Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappé tearing Kyle Walker and the England defence to shreds, or the Manchester City full-back stopping a player who had been the tournament’s best to date. Instead, the spotlight shone once more on a player whose role for France has been ever-changing.
Antoine Griezmann has had, to be charitable, a rough go of it at club level since leaving Atlético Madrid for Barcelona in 2019 with his former club hampered by onerous financial restrictions and the departure of Lionel Messi. Even his return to Los Colchoneros and the management of Diego Simeone has hardly been a pleasurable experience with the Blaugrana and the capital side jousting over the finances of his return to the extent that he did not regularly start matches for his club until after the international break.
