Griezmann and MLS

D

DanielBetting

Community Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2025
Antoine Griezmann saying it was his dream since he was 18 to come to MLS is one of those quotes that gets everyone talking. Some will take it at face value, others will say he means the lifestyle and the experience more than the football itself.

He also says it was important to arrive in good physical and mental condition, which is fair enough and probably the most sensible part of it. Whatever people think of the move, it does feel like he has made it for a proper reason rather than just drifting there at the end

Still, it is funny how a line like that splits opinion so quickly. For some it sounds genuine, for others it sounds like a very polished footballer answer. Interested to see whether people buy it or think he is just saying the right thing.
 
I actually think people are being a bit harsh on him here because if you listen to what he is saying, he is not even really talking about the league in some romantic legendary sense, he is talking about the whole move, the culture, the challenge, the chance to go somewhere different while still being able to play at a decent level, and that makes sense to me. He has always seemed like one of the more football mad but also sport mad players around, so I can absolutely believe that MLS was on his radar for years rather than it being some random late career cash grab. People hear MLS and immediately go into tax league mode and start laughing, but for a lot of players it is clearly about more than just the football itself and he has basically said that without dressing it up too much. That said, the way football fans are, if he has one bad game then suddenly it will become proof that he only came for the sunshine and the Instagram posts and all that nonsense, proper clown behaviour really, let the man enjoy it ffs
 
if he means the lifestyle and the whole american sports thing then yeah fair enough but calling it a dream since 18 does sound a bit polished doesnt it, like most players would say that if they wanted to make a move look more thoughtful than it really was, still better than the usual im here for a new challenge rubbish
 
I know everyone wants to turn this into a cute little story about a boyhood dream and fair enough maybe there is some truth in that, but I cannot get past the fact that some players just talk absolute nonsense when they are trying to frame a move nicely and this feels exactly like that, especially when you look at how these things usually go with big names heading over there and suddenly everyone is pretending it was always the plan, like come on mate, if you are that bothered about the football then why are you going to MLS of all places, and if you are not then just say you fancy the experience instead of wrapping it up in this neat little quote, because half the time these comments are just PR with shin pads on and it does my head in, plus if he plays badly people will be on his back instantly and honestly I can already hear the excuses flying around and it is going to be a whole mess
 
It reads like he wanted the move for years and has used the right moment to do it, which is sensible. From a tactical point of view the bigger question is whether he can still influence games without having to do everything himself all the time
 
On one level this is pretty straightforward: a player with a long career, a strong interest in American sports, and a desire to arrive in the right physical and mental state has chosen a move that suits him. That does not automatically make it fake, and it does not automatically make it noble either, it just means he has his own reasons. But football fans never let anything stay that simple for more than five seconds, do they, because the second someone mentions MLS everyone starts acting like they have cracked the code on the player’s true motivations and it becomes either pure romance or pure marketing. I think there is probably a bit of both. And honestly that is fine. What gets on my nerves is the instant pile-on from people who act offended that a professional footballer might want a move that benefits his life as well as his career, as if that is some great betrayal of the sport, absolute nonsense, let him live and stop making every quote into a lecture
 
I think the quote is pretty reasonable, and people are only laughing because it is MLS. He is basically saying the move was planned, not accidental, and that he wanted to be ready for it physically and mentally. That is a lot more credible than the standard empty transfer quote we usually get.
 
proper lads holiday energy this one isnt it he probably wanted the sunshine the culture and a nice little change of pace and now everyone is pretending he has been dreaming of the tactical brilliance of mls since he was a kid absolute scenes
 
nah i dont think thats fair, he can genuinely want the move without it being some fake pr line and just because its mls doesnt mean the reasoning is automatically bollocks, people are far too quick to write it off
 
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