10 things you should know about Griezmann
1) Relationship with the writer-aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
They not only share their names. The most famous literary work of Saint-Exupéry gives the footballer his nickname: Le Petit Prince. Even on Griezmann's forearm you can read a sentence from this writer: "Make your life a dream, and a dream, a reality."
2) From Portugal to Mâcon.
Barça's 20th Frenchman was born, and spent his childhood in Mâcon (France), but he has Portuguese roots. His maternal grandfather, Amaro Lopes, left professional football in Portugal to emigrate to France, where he would work in construction.
3) Difficult beginnings in French football.
His first team was from the French district where he lived, Mâcon (Charnay-lès-Mâcon, who later merged with the Mâcon team to form the Union du Football Mâconnais). His football growth was notorious and consequently, scouts from many of the French clubs: Auxerre, Lyon, Sochaux, Saint-Étienne, Metz and Montpellier invited him for trials. However, because of his small stature, he was rejected by the French academies. Then Real Sociedad showed an interest, and at 13 years of age he left his hometown to settle in Baiona with the man who discoverered him, Eric Olhats. He would go on to become a player in the Txuri-Urdu squad.
4) Griezmann already wore the blaugrana colours.
The new signing played for a French club, UFM, in his home town of Mâcon. Little Antoine, at the age of ten, defended their colours; blaugrana.
5) A goalkeeping dream.
Griezmann not only wants to score goals, but also to deny them. When he was a child, he liked to wear gloves and to stop the ball. When finishing training sessions with his former team, he also did so.
6) A taste for basketball
He is a true fan of the NBA; His favourite player is Derrick Rose. His house in Madrid has a basketball court constructed there for him to practice this sport.
7) Appearance on the big screen.
He dubbed the voice of Superman in the French version of Batman: the LEGO movie.
8) Sonny Anderson, one of his favourite players.
As a child, like almost every child, he wanted to get an autograph or a photograph from his favourite players. Griezmann was impressed by the footballer, Sonny Anderson, who had come to France after passing through FC Barcelona. The Brazilian had dazzled Antoine.
9) The car and the Ballon d'Or.
Griezmann finished third in 2016 at the Ballon d'Or, but an anecdote can be traced to a few months before, in the way he found out that he would be on the podium of the three best players in the world. The Frenchman had finished training with Atlético Madrid and while going home in the car he returned a missed call from his sister and representative. Griezmann exploded with joy as he drove and some of the drivers passing by him were shocked when his sister informed him that he was the third best player in the world.
10) The mate
Griezmann likes Uruguayan culture and loves mate. The Uruguayan who introduced him to it was Carlos Bueno at Real Sociedad. Now he can share the mate with the two South Americans who always come to the matches with one in their hand, Messi and Luis Suárez.