Griezmann given hostile reception on Atletico Madrid return
Robin Bairner
- 16 Sept 2021 08:54 BST
- 3 min read
Antoine Griezmann’s return to Atletico Madrid was not the fairy tale that he might have hoped as he was booed during his club’s scoreless draw with Porto.
Griezmann might have been one of Atleti’s brighter players on the night but that did not stop him from being booed by the crowd.
Atletico Madrid’s fans remain angry at Griezmann for departing the club in 2019 to join Barcelona, although it proved to be a transfer that worked massively in the capital club’s favour. The supporters felt that he had everything with the club and should not have left.
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As such, when he entered the field as a substitute after 56 minutes against Porto, he was jeered by a section of the home support.
Head coach Diego Simeone was questioned on the World Cup winner and naturally offered a defence of the star, who has returned to the club on loan with an obligatory purchase option of €40 million if he plays 50% of Atleti’s game.
He has a challenge ahead of him as a result of what happened in the past
- Diego Simeone“The media are making a film and a morbid situation,” Simeone complained. “It highlights the importance of having recovered an extraordinary footballer like him.
“We hope that he gets better and can respond to the people who are criticising him. He has a challenge ahead of him as a result of what happened in the past.”
Griezmann’s first Atleti spell
Griezmann initially moved to Atletico Madrid in 2014 from Real Sociedad and became an icon of the club thanks to his stellar displays. Indeed, he was regarded as one of the main catalyst of Atleti reaching the 2016 Champions League final and helping them to sustain a challenge to Real Madrid and Barcelona over successive years.
He scored 133 goals in 258 appearances for Atleti in his first spell with the club.
The World Cup winner was long linked with a move to Barcelona before ultimately completing the deal. Nevertheless, this was a sore point for Atleti fans at the time, with Griezmann seeking to dramatize the decision by announcing it via a television show in 2018. On that occasion, he chose to stay with the Madrid side but he moved on a year later.
Griezmann’s only previous match since returning to Atletico Madrid was in Espanyol, where he played an hour before being withdrawn. The on-loan Barcelona star has yet to score or assist in La Liga this season, having played four matches.
