Frenchman says he was “very young” and “made a mistake” to switch from Madrid to Catalonia in 2019
Antoine Griezmann bid an emotional farewell to Atletico Madrid supporters on Sunday saying the love he experienced at the club meant more to him than winning either La Liga or the Champions League.
The Frenchman played his final home match for Atletico in a 1-0 victory over Girona at the Metropolitano before being honoured in a post-match ceremony attended by teammates, manager Diego Simeone, and club legends including Fernando Torres and Diego Godin.
Griezmann leaves as Atletico’s all-time leading scorer and the man who has made the fourth-highest number of appearances in the history of the club. He is set to continue his career in Major League Soccer with Orlando City.
Addressing fans after the match, the 34-year-old spoke about his long relationship with the club and apologised for leaving to join Barcelona in 2019 before returning two years later.
“Thank you all for staying behind – this is amazing,” Griezmann said. “I know many of you already have, and some still haven’t, but I apologise again. I didn’t realise how much love I had here. I was very young, and I made a mistake.”
E7ERNAL ❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/0qANHWhtDJ
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) May 17, 2026
The forward said returning to Atletico helped him rediscover both his form and his connection with the club.
“I came back to my senses, and we did everything we could to enjoy life here again,” Griezmann.
Griezmann joined Atletico from Real Sociedad in 2014 and became one of the defining players of the Simeone era. He won the Europa League, Uefa Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup trophies with the club but did not win the league or the Copa del Rey because the team won it while he was Barcelona.
This season Atletico reached the Copa del Rey final and semi-final of the Champions League but lost to Real Sociedad and Arsenal respectively.
“I haven’t been able to bring home a La Liga title or a Champions League trophy, but this love is worth more,” Griezmann said. “I’ll carry it with me for the rest of my life.”
The striker also paid tribute to Atletico manager Diego Simeone, who described Griezmann as “possibly the best player we’ve had here”.
“Thanks to you there’s so much excitement in this stadium,” Griezmann said. “Thanks to you I became a world champion and I felt like the best in the world. I owe you so much, and it’s been an honour to fight for you.”
