Antoine Griezmann was left fuming on social media after a video emerged including criticisms of his work-rate and stature in the game.
Griezmann is considered by many to be one of the best players of his generation, enjoying success both domestically in Spain and internationally, guiding France to a World Cup win in 2018.
While he was unable to take his game to an even higher level at Barcelona, he is Atletico Madrid’s all-time leading goal scorer and has been one of the top forwards in LaLiga for almost a decade.
A video was posted by Optus Sport that included Mark Schwarzer and Jay Bothroyd discussing Griezmann alongside Julien Laurens and Phil Kitromilides.
Antoine Griezmann hit out at criticisms of his work-rate and standing in the game
The forward is Atletico Madrid’s all-time top goal scorer after breaking Luis Aragones’ record
The large part of the debate raged around his contributions to his team, with Schwarzer stating: ‘I don’t feel at times that he contributes enough to the team, in terms of the work-rate.’
The former goalkeeper added: ‘Going forward his quality is up there with the best but I feel like we haven’t seen it enough for him to be classed as a really really top class player, or among the best players in the world.’
The sentiment was echoed by Bothroyd, who criticised Griezmann for not thriving at Barcelona – where one Lionel Messi was playing in his favoured position – and suggested the Frenchman merely ‘floats’ into positions and drops too deep.
Laurens however was a staunch admirer, and called for his fellow pundits to ‘enjoy’ what is left of Griezmann’s career, having turned 33 on Thursday.
‘Everything looks so easy for him, he’s so beautiful, so elegant, every touch, every run, everything,’ he said. ‘He’s 32 now so we maybe have one more year of him, two maximum, so let’s enjoy it.’
Bothroyd continued to describe Griezmann as a ‘luxury player’ and claimed he isn’t really a forward, before LaLiga TV presenter Kitromilides stepped in.
‘I can’t take the Griezmann slander,’ he began. ‘The notion that he is not an unbelievably hard-working player that does everything for the team.
‘You do not see superstar forwards tracking back and making tackles on the edge of the penalty area,
The video saw Jay Bothroyd (left) label the French forward as a ‘luxury player’ repeatedly
LaLiga TV presenter Phil Kitromilides insisted that Griezmann puts in more defensive work than all other superstar forwards
‘He does that all the time. Look at the tackles he makes, look at the work-rate he puts in. No other superstar forward is doing that.’
And the video did not escape Griezmann’s notice, with the 33-year-old taking to social media to post: They know nothing about football!’
Against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia, he netted a 174th goal in Atleti colours to break Luis Aragones’ record tally that had stood for almost half a century.
With 19 goals again this season already, he is set to play a key role for France as they look to win a first European Championship in 24 years in Germany this summer.
He had been with the squad preparing for their upcoming round of friendlies before an ankle injury ruled him out of contention.
As such, his remarkable world record of 84 consecutive international appearances is set to come to an end, highlighting just how important a player he has been for France – widely regarded as the best team in the world.
Thierry Henry has named Griezmann as the most under-rated player of all-time
And he received monumental praise earlier in the week when France legend Thierry Henry, his nation’s second-highest ever goal scorer, labelled the Atleti star the most under-rated player in the world.
‘We must not forget Griezmann, who reminds us that hard work is a talent,’ the 46-year-old said.
‘Griezmann is by far the most underrated player in existence. We often talk about Kylian, so much so that I am even in favour of abusing him. But Griezmann… look at his passes and his goals.
‘Tell me who in history could play all four offensive positions like him? There aren’t many. Grizou is one of them.’
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