The roadblock in the way of Griezmann’s MLS move

Eight years later, Antoine Griezmann finds himself at the same crossroads. At the daisy. Two paths stretch out before him. One lies straight ahead, the one he is already on, red and white, at Atlético Madrid. The other turns west, across the ocean to the United States and Major League Soccer, which is once again pulling at him with an offer, as reported by The Athletic. But there is a condition: the Frenchman must decide now. Orlando City have offered him a three year contract and want his answer before 26 March, when their transfer window closes.

Griezmann has made a mistake before. Not only in what he did by leaving Atlético, but in how he did it, with that hurried video and a farewell that felt forced to a fanbase that adored him. He returned two seasons later and earned forgiveness on the pitch. He apologised more with his movement, his goals and his gestures than with words. “I apologise for any harm I may have caused. I know people want to hear it from me,” he said on 16 October 2022, after an Atlético v Athletic match, a year after returning from Barcelona.

He had chosen Barça the season after “The Decision 1.0”, the documentary he recorded to announce whether he would stay at Atlético or join Barcelona, in a very American style that has always fascinated him. He spent two seasons there, winning a Copa del Rey, but left because he wanted more titles. During that spell, Atlético won La Liga, a triumph he had to watch on television, fully aware of what he had given up. He came back in the summer of 2021.

Under contract until 2027, he already said “au revoir” to MLS last March. The difference between that moment and this one is significant. Beyond the passing years and the maturity of a player approaching 35, Griezmann wants to leave properly when the time comes. Properly, and with silverware. “I want more: La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Champions League with Atlético Madrid,” he told AS in December. He meant it.

La Liga is now out of reach. In the Copa del Rey, Atlético are one step from the final on 18 April, with the second leg of the semi final against Barcelona to come. In the Champions League, they are in the round of 16. All of it hangs in the balance just as Orlando wait for an answer. It clashes with what Griezmann wants most: to finish well. His love for Atlético is real and deep. He does not want to disappoint again, and he would not forgive himself if he did. He returned to complete unfinished business.

The club will not stand in his way. They understand that, this time, the door would close the right way. Ideally after one more celebration at the Neptune Fountain. That is his dream. It comes before the American one.

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