Antoine Griezmann has been “a mix of Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini” in France’s run at the FIFA World Cup, according to Christophe Dugarry. While the tournament’s joint-top scorer Kylian Mbappe has grabbed most of the headlines, the likes of Olivier Giroud and Griezmann have also starred for France.
Griezmann has played in a roaming role for Les Blues in Qatar and has three assists to his name. He is behind only Argentina’s Lionel Messi in terms of chances created, having played a game less, and is joint-second for possession won in the final third.
The Atletico Madrid forward was named the third-best player of the 2018 World Cup when France lifted the trophy, and Dugarry believes he has played just as big a part this time. “Griezmann, I find him simply exceptional since the start of the competition,” Dugarry, who was part of France’s 1998 World Cup-winning side, told RMC.
“I even find him, at times, ‘Zidane-esque’. He always has the right tone, the right pass. I sincerely think that the France team would not be the same without him. We often lack rhythm in our game; there’s not a lot of intensity. But, as soon as Antoine touches the ball, he puts rhythm on a pass, on a vision. He has a mix of Zizou and Platini. Platini, he enlightened the game, he had a vision. He saw the game before the others. Griezmann, I find him breathtaking. I find him calm, I find him serene, I find him mature.”
Griezmann drifted to the left to play in a delightful cross for Giroud’s headed winner in the 2-1 quarter-final victory against England, having earlier assisted Aurelien Tchouameni. The 31-year-old has been involved in eight goals in his last eight World Cup starts (three goals, five assists), with seven of those involvements coming in the knockout stages.
“The strength of Deschamps is to have put him in this position,” Dugarry said of Griezmann’s unorthodox positioning. “I think Atletico boss Diego Simeone will have to do it too. Griezmann must play as a midfielder. In addition, he runs, he gallops, he fills the gaps, he feels the opponents’ play. It’s a bit like a tennis player: the guy always returns the ball to you because he knows where you’re going to send the ball.”
In the eyes of many, Deschamps’ decision to take a player who impressed just behind the main striker at Russia 2018 and deploy him in a more withdrawn position has proved a masterstroke.
Former Uruguay international Diego Forlan was full of praise for Griezmann. “He links the midfielders and the forwards up perfectly,” he said. “He has a very important job to do in the team. He’s France’s key player if you ask me.”
Those views are echoed by Argentinian midfielder Javier Pastore, who plays for Elche in La Liga and has come up against Griezmann on the pitch. “He gets everywhere,” Pastore said.
“He’s such an important player for Les Bleus. Griezmann has a more attacking brief for his club and plays in an area where he’s expected to score and make decisive passes, whereas for his country, he does the lot, even if it’s not exactly beautiful to watch.”