Antoine Griezmann publicly apologises to Atlético fans for Barcelona move | OneFootball

Atlético Madrid star Antoine Griezmann on Sunday issued a heartfelt apology to the club’s fanbase.

This came in a final push for forgiveness for his decision to depart the Rojiblancos for La Liga rivals Barcelona.

Frontman Griezmann of course swapped Spain’s capital for its Catalan equivalent in a big-money transfer back in the summer of 2019.

The deal ultimately proved to be something of a failure for both parties, though, as the Frenchman struggled to settle into his new surroundings, and Barcelona’s attacking setup.

This gave rise to a swift move back to Atlético, initially on loan, and then on a permanent basis in 2022.

On Sunday, after playing his final home game in the red and white of his beloved Atléti, Griezmann therefore made use of the opportunity to issue an apology message.

Speaking in an address to the Metropolitano following a 1-0 win over Girona, the 35-year-old explained:

“Now is when everything gets difficult for me. First of all, thank you all for staying. This is unbelievable. Secondly, and something very important to me, I know many of you already did and some maybe still haven’t, but I want to apologise once again. I didn’t realise the love I had here. I was very young. I made a mistake, I reflected on it, and we did everything possible to come back and enjoy it all again.”

Conor Laird – GSFN