The unthinkable has finally happened, Cules – Antoine Griezmann is now officially a Blaugrana after president Bartomeu decided to pay Atletico Madrid the €120M stipulated on his buyout clause – a deal which not even our friends at Betting Bonus Codes, who now offer a bonus when signing up, would have seen coming this time last year.
The French international has dominated the Blaugrana transfer window yet again this summer. Despite Barca’s efforts to bring him to the Camp Nou last season, the French international made the very public decision to stay at Atlético Madrid instead – by airing a farcical documentary in the process.
When questioned about the now infamous ‘La Decision’ documentary during his first press conference at the Camp Nou, Griezmann explained: “I have done various bad things in the past. But I have never regretted anything because they’re things I wanted to do at the time. I didn’t play with either of the two sides. In the end, Barcelona and I are now together and I can’t wait to wear the shirt. If I have to apologise, I will do so on the pitch. That’s where I do my best talking.”
While I do totally understand that Griezmann is a player who automatically improves the attacking options of our current squad, I wholeheartedly believe that his bizarre, almost insulting behaviour should have been enough to prevent him from becoming part of the Catalans’ dressing room – a feeling both Messi and Suarez reportedly share.
For decades, Barca proudly promoted their ‘Mes Que Un Club’ values around the world. Sure, winning football matches and lifting plenty of silverware played a huge role but, alongside that, the decisive factor that attracted millions of new fans to our club was our institution having a different, deeper philosophy, an almost alternative way to understand the beautiful game.
According to the club’s website, Barca is ‘More than a club because we feel that such VALUES as humility, ambition, effort, teamwork and respect are just as important a part of the way we play as winning.’
Griezmann teased our fanbase and rejected our club’s offer on national TV last summer, which is not very respectful if you ask me. His past behaviour and total disregard for the values our club stands for (or, perhaps more appropriate now, stood for) are simply not aligned.
I’m very sorry to say this but, honestly, the current board clearly do not make Barcelona’s motto justice anymore and are ruining the club’s traditional image – which is unacceptable and embarrassing to see.
Don’t get me wrong, I do whole-heartedly wish Griezmann all the best at the Camp Nou as that would bring much-needed overall success of our club. Our new No.17 has a proven record when it comes to scoring and assisting at the highest level and his ability to run into spaces, perform under pressure and even press aggressively when needed are all great attributes. From a merely sporting perspective, as a result, his arrival makes perfect sense – which is why coach Valverde pushed so hard for his signing.
At the same time, however, the traditional romantic inside my Blaugrana heart wishes the club had stood by their values and looked for other alternatives instead. Not available in the current market, I hear you say? Perhaps but, if you think carefully about that, players such as Messi, Iniesta, Xavi or even Pedro were never bought in the first place either – they came through our La Masia youth academy and were moulded into world-class pieces that made us all proud and successful.
Not a quick fix, I know, but something, somewhere is deeply broken and it is now time for the Socis to take matters into their hands to find a much-needed solution.
Failing that, be prepared for further Griezmann-like personalities to join our club in the future.
