Antoine Griezmann on France captaincy snub in favour of Kylian Mbappé: “It was hard to stomach.” | OneFootball

France international Antoine Griezmann (32) has opened up on his disappointment at not being chosen as Les Bleus skipper. As exclusively revealed by Get French Football News last February, Kylian Mbappé (24) got the nod and effectively replaced Hugo Lloris as France captain. The Tottenham keeper announced his international retirement after France’s defeat in the 2022 World Cup final. The Atlético Madrid man was only appointed vice-captain.

Speaking to Telefoot, the 32-year-old said he badly coped with the situation for several days. “It was hard to take, and tough. I’m 32 and, although I still have the legs, I know I’m reaching the end [of my career]. I had a hard time stomaching it for one or two days.“

Still, Griezmann remains an instrumental player for Les Bleus in his newly-found central midfielder role. The 2018 Europa League winner with Atlético Madrid is expected to start against Greece on Monday at the Stade de France as part of their campaign to qualify for Euro 2024. Griezmann also committed his future to the Colchoneros and said that, as long as he is on the pitch, he’ll be happy. “I’m fully behind our captain Kylian. I won’t change anything, because that’s who I am.“

GFFN | Bastien Cheval