Antoine Griezmann, Deschamps’ lie which causes scandal

Although Didier Deschamps suggested that Antoine Griezmann had informed him of his intention to end his career with the French team, the coach was actually taken by surprise just before the official announcement.

On Monday, the announcement took everyone by surprise. After more than ten years in the blue jersey, Antoine Griezmann has chosen to end his adventure with the France team. This decision to retire internationally surprised not only observers, but also a large number of football players. Only those close to him were aware of the intentions of the vice-captain of the Blues until Monday morning.

By paying tribute to his star, Didier Deschamps claimed to have had “ a long discussion about this recently », while specifying that he maintained “ a relationship of trust and very honest exchanges » with Griezmann. However, according to Damien Dégorre, journalist at L'Équipe, Griezmann would have warned Deschamps only a few moments before making the announcement public, rather than ” recently“.

Didier Deschamps taken by surprise

“ There was no real discussion with Deschamps. Antoine Griezmann simply called him to inform him of his retirement. They never discussed this subject in detail. Once this exchange was made, Griezmann published the announcement. His decision was already made », Specified Damien Dégorre on the set of L’Équipe du Soir.

The journalist then described Griezmann's thinking after Euro 2021. “ After the Euro, which was disruptive for him with incessant tactical changes, he questioned himself. After the elimination against Spain, he said to his sister: “Maybe I'll stop.” But he did not discuss this decision during the summer. In September, he was called up for selection, but this gathering did not bring him satisfaction. A few days later, he confided to his sister: “I made my decision. I'm going to stop.” He takes a few days of extra thought, without telling anyone besides his wife and sister. No one else knew. »