Griezmann plans to be star ton as French eye glory
Antoine Griezmann wants to make his 100th French cap extra special by firing Les Bleus to Nations League glory tonight.
The Atletico Madrid striker will become just the ninth Frenchman to chalk up a century when he faces Spain in the San Siro showpiece.
He’s thrilled be following in the footsteps of legends such as Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Didier Deschamps by joining the 100 club.
He has Deschamps to thank for reaching that mark as the France boss has handed him every one of his caps.
But the 30-year-old knows it would take some of the shine off his big night if the French fail to see off Luis Enrique’s slick Spaniards.
Griezmann said: “It’s going to be a special night but it’s a game we have to win.
“There’s a trophy to lift at the end so we’ll do everything to succeed. We have the right team to do it.
“Admittedly, a 100th cap is always quite special. The club of players with 100 caps is a very select one so I’m very proud and hopefully the evening will end on a good note.”
Griezmann is part of a star-studded forward line that also includes PSG megastar Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid hitman Karim Benzema.
They failed to click at Euro 2020 as France crashed to a shock defeat against Switzerland but showed all their class in a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Belgium in the Nations League semi-final.
Griezmann said: “We try to find each other. Playing behind them both makes it easier to find them and to try to put them in the best situations.
“They’re in top form and it’s good for us when they are in this shape as they can make a difference at any time. It’s wonderful to have such players.”
Mbappe admits his stunning return to form will count for nothing if Les Bleus do not lift the trophy tonight.
The 22- year- old striker was sensational in the win over Belgium and slotted home a spot-kick when handed the ball by Benzema.
Now he’s desperate to gun down Spain and get his hands on another trophy after winning the 2018 World Cup.
Mbappe said: “There is a final to win. If you do all that other stuff and then you don’t win the title, that would be very frustrating.”
Theo Hernandez hit a stunning late winner in the semi-final just moments after Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku had a goal ruled out by VAR for offside.
It was a wonderful way for the AC Milan full-back to break his duck and he expects another end-to-end game against Spain.
Hernandez said: “It will be a great final and we’ll go there to win this tournament because finals are there to be won.
“It’s true that Spain play their type of football. They have a great team, as do we. We have great players and we’re going into it to win the match.”
The French have received a blow ahead of the final with the news midfielder Adrien Rabiot has been ruled out of the game after testing positive for Covid-19.