Antoine Griezmann will surrender his utterly ridiculous appearance record for France after pulling out of the squad for upcoming friendlies with an injury.
Griezmann is the first name on the team sheet for Didier Deschamps, but is unavailable for France’s friendlies against Germany and Chile. The Atletico Madrid striker has an ankle injury so will be absent from the squad for the first time since November 2016.
He was named in the original squad by Deschamps last week and he played 45 minutes in Atleti’s 3-0 defeat by Barcelona on Sunday, but has now been ruled out by the doctor after reporting for duty in Clairefontaine on Monday.
“Antoine has a problem with his ankle, which reacted even though he played 45 minutes last night,” Deschamps confirmed. "With Antoine's qualities we're not going to find a player who has his characteristics. A replacement position for position is very, very, very difficult to find. We will arrange things differently."
Griezmann had played in a whopping 84 consecutives matches for Les Blues, getting onto the pitch in every game since a friendly against England in June 2017, when he was an unused substitute. The 32-year-old has scored 44 goals in 127 appearances for France since making his debut back in 2014.
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He was exceptional during France’s run to the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and is one of Deschamps’ favourite players. He described him as "not irreplaceable but essential" before announcing that former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has been called up in his stead.
Guendouzi has been out of the squad since the World Cup, but has been in good form for Lazio recently. Deschamps has other injury problems to consider, with Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate a major doubt after missing the last three games for his club. “Ibou had some little niggling problems, he’s coming off a season where he played a lot,” said Deschamps.
Antoine Griezmann arrived in Clairefontaine on Monday before withdrawing with an injury (FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)The games against Euro 2024 hosts Germany on March 23 in Lyon and against Chile three days later in Marseille are France's final preparations for this summer’s tournament. They begin their campaign on June 17 in Dusseldorf against Austria, with the Netherlands the other confirmed side in Group D; the other spot will be filled by the play-offs.
Speaking about his streak of appearances to Le Monde recently, Griezmann said: "Representing the French national team is a magnificent thing, and that's why I've got this record for consecutive matches. It's because I love this team. There were times when I could hardly play, but I made the effort for the [national team] selection."
He has been in good form with Atleti this season, contributing 19 goals and seven assists in 38 appearances across all competitions. He was part of the team which overcame Inter Milan on penalties last week to book a quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund.
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