Antoine Griezmann’s Remarkable Run Comes to an End Due to Injury: France Forward to Miss Friendlies

Due to an ankle sprain, Antoine Griezmann was forced to miss France’s friendlies against Chile and Germany on Monday, capping a record-breaking 84 straight games played for Les Bleus. From June 14 to July 14, France will play their final friendlies before the Euro 2024 tournament. This will be the first time since November 2016 that the Atletico Madrid star has been absent from the French side. Since the striker was not deployed as a substitute in a June 2017 friendly against England, Griezmann has played for France in every game.

Griezmann, a 127-cap player who has 44 goals for France, has been replaced on the squad for the first time since the previous World Cup by Lazio’s Matteo Guendouzi.
According to the French football association, Griezmann is “not irreplaceable but essential” for the France lineup according to coach Didier Deschamps, who has also accepted the team doctor’s advice.

Before making his Champions League comeback last week, the 32-year-old missed four games for Atletico. He scored against Inter Milan, sending the Spanish team to the quarterfinals via penalties.
He also entered the game at the interval during Sunday’s 3-0 La Liga loss to Barcelona.

“Antoine has a problem with his ankle, which reacted even though he played 45 minutes last night,” Deschamps stated.
With one goal in seven games, Guendouzi has represented France. His last appearance was during the World Cup in Qatar, where he lost to Tunisia 1-0 in the last group encounter.

“With Antoine’s qualities we’re not going to find a player who has his characteristics,” Deschamps stated.
Finding a replacement for a position is extremely, really, extremely tough. We’re going to set things up differently.”

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While Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain is recuperating from an eardrum puncture, AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan is also doubtful due to injury.
Deschamps expressed optimism for Ibrahima Konate, Lucas Hernandez, and Adrien Rabiot.

Konate, a defender for Liverpool, has missed the last three games for the English team owing to injury. He was also out of action for France in September and November.
“Ibou had some little niggling problems, he’s coming off a season where he played a lot,” Deschamps stated.
Before announcing his selection for the European Championships in mid-May, Deschamps stated that he intended “to involve as many players as possible” in his final “workforce review”.

He stated that since “we’re never safe” from injuries, the goal would be for the two-time European champions to predict potential outcomes in May or June.
“We are not here to try things, we know the players,” he maintained.

Deschamps, however, dismissed rumors involving Bradley Barcola, a 21-year-old attacker for PSG, and did not select any new players.
“We’re in rehearsal, to try different combinations in the two matches,” Deschamps stated.

France will play two friendlies against Germany, the European hosts, on March 23 in Lyon and against Chile in Marseille three days later.

The European campaign for Deschamps’ team therefore begins on June 17 in Duesseldorf against Austria.

Antoine Griezmann’s unfortunate injury marks the end of an impressive streak with the French national team. As the team prepares for crucial friendlies and the Euro 2024 tournament, Coach Didier Deschamps is focused on adapting the squad and maximizing player involvement. The call-up of Matteo Guendouzi signifies the team’s resilience and determination to overcome challenges and strive for success in upcoming competitions.

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