FRENCH STRIKER COULD BE THE WILD CARD
He has been handsomely rewarded for his loyalty though, with a new deal worth some €23-million (R357-million) that makes him the fifth-highest paid player in the world behind Lionel Messi (€40-million per year), Neymar (€30-million), Andres Iniesta (€25-million) and Oscar (€24-million).
Griezmann won and scored a penalty in the 2-1 victory over Australia and forms part of a fearsome front-three for France that includes Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé.
But he was also given a reality-check by France coach Didier Deschamps when he was hauled off after 70 minutes.
Deschamps was critical of the forward’s performance. “Antoine is Antoine, he's our attacking leader and will remain so. Maybe he was a little less good," Deschamps said, brushing off the obvious disappointment displayed by the player at the time.
"That someone is disappointed when he goes off ... it was a one-off decision for this match. It's true that he was a little angry, that's normal. He's a very ambitious player but in the locker room, the (team) bus and the base camp, he was happy."
Griezmann, 27, was born in the central France town of Mâcon, though his father’s family were originally from Germany and his mother Isabelle from Portugal. Griezmann’s grandfather on his mother’s side was a player at Porto-based Paços de Ferreira.
In 2005, aged 14, he was scouted by Spanish LaLiga side Real Sociedad at a tournament in France, where he was hoping to impress the likes of Paris St Germain or Montpellier.
He moved to Spain and made his debut for the senior side in 2009, spending five seasons there during which time he scored 52 goals in 201 appearances, a good return as he spent most of that time as a winger.
He was signed by Atletico in 2014 and has been a hit ever since, managing 112 goals in 209 appearances. He made his France debut that same year and his goal against Australia took his tally to 21 in 55 matches.