In the world of football, It All started with the press when Antoine Griezmann joined Barcelona Team. He said:
“When I played at Barça, the press said Messi wasn’t happy with me.”
“He told me, ‘Antoine, calm down. It’s the press.”
“He responded in matches.”
“On the pitch, he whistled penalties and celebrated my goals as if he had scored them himself.”
what to know.
World Champion’s Challenge: Antoine Griezmann’s Complex Chapter Alongside Messi at Barcelona
When Atlético Madrid’s superstar, Antoine Griezmann, made his highly anticipated €120 million move to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2019, the football world buzzed with excitement. Here was a World Cup winner, a proven La Liga goalscorer, and one of the most intelligent forwards in the game, set to join forces with the legendary Lionel Messi. On paper, it was a partnership destined for glory—a dream combination of tactical genius and prolific finishing.
However, the two seasons Griezmann spent at the Camp Nou (2019-2021) proved to be one of the most complex and challenging periods of his illustrious career, largely defined by the struggle to forge a seamless connection with the team’s undisputed icon, Lionel Messi.
The Struggle for Chemistry
From the outset, it was clear that integrating Griezmann into Barcelona’s system, which was built entirely around Messi’s gravitational pull, was not going to be straightforward. At Atlético Madrid, Griezmann was the main man, the focal point of the attack. Every play was designed to maximize his strengths—his clever movement into space, his ability to drop deep, and his license to roam.
At Barcelona, that central role belonged to Messi. The Argentine maestro naturally occupied the very spaces Griezmann thrived in. This forced the Frenchman to adapt his game significantly, often shunting him out to the left wing, a position that limited his influence and forced him into a more sacrificial role. Instead of being the offensive protagonist, he was tasked with making decoy runs, holding the width of the pitch, and performing defensive duties he wasn’t accustomed to.
This tactical clash was visible on the pitch. The fluid, almost telepathic connection that Messi shared with longtime partners like Luis Suárez and Jordi Alba was glaringly absent with Griezmann. Passes were often misplaced, movements were not in sync, and for long stretches, the two superstars seemed to be on different wavelengths.
Moments of Hope and On-Field Reality
Despite the overarching narrative of a difficult partnership, there were flashes of the brilliance everyone had hoped for. The duo combined for several important goals, most notably in the 2021 Copa del Rey final, where they linked up beautifully in a 4-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, with Griezmann scoring the opener from a Messi-initiated move. That triumph remains the only major trophy Griezmann won with Barcelona and was a high point in their collaboration.
However, these moments were the exception rather than the rule. Off the pitch, reports suggested a professional but distant relationship. Griezmann himself later admitted the difficulty of building a connection with Messi, who was initially frustrated by the nature of Griezmann’s controversial, delayed transfer from Atlético.
In a candid interview, Griezmann explained, “It was difficult to connect with him at the start. We didn’t talk much. It took a long time, but we did drink mate together, so we were heading in the right direction.”
Griezmann’s Perspective on Playing with a Legend
Despite the challenges, Griezmann has consistently expressed his admiration for Messi. He acknowledged the immense difficulty of adapting to a team where the system is so heavily tailored to one player, but he never framed it as a negative experience. Instead, he viewed it as a period of learning.
Playing alongside a player of Messi’s caliber, he noted, forces you to see the game differently. While his own goal tally dipped compared to his time at Atlético—scoring 35 goals in 102 appearances for Barça—he developed other aspects of his game, becoming a more diligent team player.
Ultimately, Griezmann’s time at Barcelona is seen as a “what if” scenario. He was a world-class player who joined a team in a period of transition and tactical identity crisis, all while trying to adapt to the singular genius of Lionel Messi. His return to Atlético Madrid in 2021 was a homecoming that allowed him to once again become the focal point of his team, a role he was always destined to play. His spell at Barcelona remains a fascinating case study of how even the most talented individuals can struggle to find their place in the shadow of a legend.
