Just three months ago, Griezmann lost his regular place at the club due to a contract farce. Today, he has reached the World Cup final as the "brain" of France and is regarded as one of the best performers of this World Cup. So, how did Griezmann do this?
In the run-ups of the World Cup, the media tends to focus on Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe, however, ahead of the game against France, England boss Gareth Southgate said: "Griezmann is a phenomenal player. ”
With the absence of players such as Kante and Pogba, Griezmann had to be transformed into a midfielder by Deschamps, and in the match against England, Griezmann provided assists twice to prove Southgate's view.
At the 2018 World Cup, Griezmann won the Bronze Ball. If he can lead his team to a victory over Argentina in the final and help France become the first team to defend the World Cup title in 60 years, Griezmann will receive even greater honors.
Deschamps finds new "brain"
Throughout his career, Griezmann has played as a winger, striker or two-striker. However, due to a serious injury crisis, Griezmann had to act as a "brain" in the midfield cobbled together by Deschamps. Unexpectedly, Deschamps' forced decision was a great success in Qatar.
Deschamps revealed, "I asked differently of him. He doesn't think he's made a sacrifice because he's always so generous that he's always happy when passing. ”
"He definitely scores less, but he likes to break and fight. He has a strong left foot and good set-piece technique. He has everything he can do in midfield: passing vision, running, fitness, technique and ball intelligence. ”
It is true that Griezmann has yet to score a goal in this World Cup, but he has already provided three assists, tied with Messi, Bruno Fernandes and Kane for the top of the assists list.
In addition, he created 21 chances, the first of all players, three more than the second-placed Messi, and the seven-place goalscoring opportunity also ranked at the top of the list, one more than the second-placed Messi. In terms of getting the ball into the box, Griezmann is once again at the top of the table, while the offensive three-zone is second for the broken goal.
At the 2018 World Cup, Griezmann tied for first place in assists, but ranked 11th in creating opportunities, 7th in passing the ball into the box and joint 19th in the offensive third zone. The comparison of the four data allows us to see the huge change in Griezmann.
Griezmann said: "In this new position, I play freely. I have to be the link between the defensive line and the offensive line. There are three strikers in front of me, so I have a lot of options and it's easier for me. ”
"In the national team, I owe Deschamps a lot. I gave everything for the French team, it's for this shirt and it's for him. I'm doing everything I can to keep him trusting me. I want him to be proud of me. ”
Griezmann, Rabiot and Chuameni form France's midfield for this World Cup, with Griezmann being the only player yet to score. Griezmann has just six shots on goal this World Cup, compared to 22 shots four years ago.
French football journalist Julian Lawrence noted: "Griezmann has been reshaped as No.8 and this is a great decision for Deschamps. He's been good, he's created more chances than anyone else, and he's averaging 4 or 5 steals per game. ”
Underrated Griezmann
In fact, Griezmann's national team career is grossly underestimated. At the 2018 World Cup, although Mbappe stole the limelight, Griezmann was the most outstanding French player, winning the World Cup bronze ball.
If he is once again in the top three of the World Cup Ballon d'Or, he will become only the third player to do so after Maradona and Ronaldo.
Four years ago, Griezmann, who played as a striker, scored four goals and won the World Cup silver boot. Griezmann also shined at Euro 2016, where he won the Golden Boot with six goals, at least twice as many as anyone else, and was also voted the European Cup's best player.
Since June 2017, Griezmann has made 73 consecutive appearances for France, setting a new all-time record, after just 44 consecutive appearances for Vieira.
Since making his international debut in 2014, Griezmann has scored 42 goals, behind Olivier Giroud and Henry. At the same time, he also provided 28 assists, the highest in French history. In international competitions, Griezmann made 29 appearances, scoring 11 goals and providing 7 assists.
In the World Cup final, the former striker duo of Messi and Griezmann will prove the showdown and also become the "brain" of the team, will Griezmann have the last laugh?