Griezmann’s Atletico farewell looms, Champions League title could heal old wound
Griezmann is already headed to Orlando, but Atlético still has one last chance to turn his farewell into a Champions League ending that heals the 2016 wound.
Antoine Griezmann’s final Atlético Madrid chapter is arriving with the kind of unfinished business that has defined his career in red and white. Orlando City SC announced on March 24, 2026 that the 35-year-old will join in July 2026 on a deal running through the 2027-28 season, with an option for 2028-29, setting up a summer exit even as Atlético’s season still carried one last, weighty possibility: a Champions League title.
That possibility mattered because Griezmann’s bond with Atlético has never been just about longevity. He joined in 2014, left for Barcelona in a €120 million move in 2019, then returned in 2021 to resume the relationship. Atlético’s official records list him as the club’s all-time top scorer with 197 goals in 442 appearances, while UEFA says he has made 96 Champions League appearances for Atlético and scored more than 200 goals across nearly 500 matches in both spells.
The numbers this season showed he was still central to Diego Simeone’s team. Atlético said Griezmann had played 53 matches in 2025/26, scored 16 goals and provided nine assists, evidence that the closing act has not been a ceremonial one. Instead, it has remained productive and decisive, with Griezmann still shaping Atlético’s attack while his departure date moves closer.
The emotional stakes are rooted in a scar that has never fully healed. Atlético lost the 2016 Champions League final to Real Madrid on penalties after a 1-1 draw, and Griezmann missed a first-half penalty in that match. In a UEFA interview, he said his connection with Atlético was “way beyond love,” and that winning the Champions League would “heal a very deep wound.” That is the standard by which his legacy will be judged now: not only by affection, not only by the 197 goals, but by whether he can deliver the one trophy that has eluded both him and the club.
Atlético’s semi-final against Arsenal offered the route. The first leg was scheduled for April 29 in Madrid, with the return on May 5 at Arsenal. If Griezmann’s farewell is to become a proper ending rather than a near miss, it will have to come with the one prize that has always sat just beyond reach.
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