Griezmann shocks fans with sudden retirement from French National Team

Antoine Griezmann announced his retirement from the French national team on Monday. The 33-year-old Atlético de Madrid forward had decided to close this stage in his life, something quite unexpected by many, considering that recently he had spoken of preparing for the World Cup of 2026. Griezmann made the news official through social networks, thanking everyone and closing a career replete with extraordinary achievements and unforgettable moments.

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Griezmann's role within the France National Team

Griezmann's first appearance with the French national side was in 2014, and since then, his trajectory in the Les Bleus jersey has been bathed in gold. The footballer played quite an important role in the 2018 World Cup title. During the time, he was one of the mainstays in the then-French coach Didier Deschamps' squad. Besides raising the most valuable trophy of soccer, he performed well individually, reaping many awards and honors over these years.

Griezmann retired fourth on the all-time top scorers in French history with 137 appearances and 44 goals for the national team, behind only Olivier Giroud, Thierry Henry, and Kylian Mbappé. He is third in the amount of caps for the French team, equal to Giroud, with only Hugo Lloris and Lilian Thuram ahead of him.

With that said, it is clear that Griezmann still has much more to give at club level, but an end of an era well and truly ends when he announced his retirement from the French National Team. He joins that elite few who not only won collective glory but also have left an indelible mark on the game.

Griezmann's farewell: a heartfelt decision

He quit the stage, making it clear that this wasn't an easy decision but a necessary one. Griezmann declared himself "full of memories," and after a decade of challenge and success, he said it's time to make a way for the young blood.

Being only 33 years old, many would have still expected Griezmann to feature for France in further international tournaments, especially with the player seemingly eager to feature in the 2026 World Cup.

Also, French national team head coach Didier Deschamps thanked Griezmann with an official statement in order to further strengthen the bond of trust and respect built up through the years. Always confident in the forward, Deschamps underscored that Griezmann would remain forever a "monument of French soccer."