Less could be more for Antoine Griezmann going into the World Cup. The France forward has been getting few minutes with Atlético Madrid because of a unique contractual dispute with Barcelona, but with his World Cup spot not really in danger, he may end up being one of the few players arriving fresh for the tournament in November.
Griezmann has been on the bench at Atlético while the Spanish club reportedly tries to avoid having to pay Barcelona 40 million euros ($40.5 million) if he plays more than 45 minutes on average in a number of matches during his loan. Atlético coach Diego Simeone has used the forward only after the 60-minute mark in all six of the team’s matches this season.
The 31-year-old Griezmann, a World Cup champion with France four years ago, is in the second of his two-year loan from Barcelona. He was a star at Atlético from 2014-19 before
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