We underestimate what we ask of these hero figures: non-stop sporting excellence, superb intensity and competitive focus, but also generosity, openness to a journalist who may or may not carry a positive agenda, and a willingness to spare ultra-precious time in a schedule that will, usually, be creaking badly at the seams. With the man from Mâcon, I needn’t have worried.
Metaphorically speaking, there was a chance that his morale or his ego, rather than his eye, might be bruised. Objectively, his time at Barcelona has already been pretty successful. A handful of goals, some crisp assists, a work ethic that any manager would kill for and the absolutely evident promise that there’s so much more to come.
But if you flirt with joining a big club, decide against it, change your mind again, then join a year later for a nine-figure fee, particularly after a brutal European defeat at Anfield has left fans desperate for saviours, then the criteria for what’s judged sufficient might change from ‘fair’ to ‘harsh’. Some have, indeed, been harsh about his debut months.
Griezmann on Messi
Griezmann has already hinted that the process of conversion from Atleti athlete to Camp Nou commander has been at least as intense, complicated and challenging as he expected. Regularly featuring on the left wing, alongside Leo Messi and Luis Suárez, situates him far from where his most fertile performances for either Diego Simeone’s Atleti or Didier Deschamps’ France have tended to be. He could be forgiven if a detailed journalistic examination of life at Barcelona was something he’d rather do, say, next April or May, with trophies either in sight or already won.
Instead, tired from travel, black-eyed and listening to Scottish-tinted Spanish, here he is. Deep into what proves to be an enjoyable chat, I ask about a painful memory. It opens up a rich seam of information via which people who strive to understand what he’s doing with this golden stage of his career should judge him.
