World Cup Winners Failed to Convince Antoine Griezmann to Join MLS Club
World Cup Winners Failed to Convince Antoine Griezmann to Join MLS Club originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The MLS will not have Antoine Griezmann as its new international star for another two years, as he has renewed his contract with Atlético de Madrid through the summer of 2027. LAFC attempted to sign him. Despite the efforts of fellow World Cup winners Giroud and Lloris to sway him, Griezmann turned down the MLS opportunity.
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The love affair between Griezmann and Atlético dates back to 2014, when the Madrid-based club paid $34 million to Real Sociedad for the French striker. In his first season, Atlético won the Europa League, the UEFA Super Cup, the Supercopa de España, and La Liga's Best Player award.
Griezmann had an auspicious start with Atlético, but after years of competing in the Champions League and La Liga without major silverware, he left in 2019 to join Barcelona on a free transfer a year after winning the World Cup with France.
The transfer did not go well for both sides, as Griezmann joined Barcelona at a tumultuous time for the Catalan club. He stayed for two years before returning to Atlético, which had just won the La Liga title with Luis Suárez as the main striker.
In the summer of 2025, Antoine Griezmann was ready to become a free agent, and a move to LAFC to be reunited with his former France national team teammates Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris was an option.
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According to the Spanish website Fichajes, both players were urging Griezmann to sign with the LA club, but the attempts were unsuccessful, and the striker renewed his contract until the summer of 2027.
LAFC was looking to add another striker ahead of the Club World
The LAFC joined Inter Miami and Seattle Sounders as the third MLS representative in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. The tournament will take place in the United States and feature some of the world's biggest clubs, including the Champions League winner PSG, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Atlético de Madrid.
This is the first time FIFA has organized a tournament like this, one that goes beyond the classic championship - that features only the winners from every continent. The main goal is to attract more people from the United States to soccer ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the country.
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LAFC has a history of impactful strikers, including Carlos Vela, Gareth Bale and now Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman is struggling to stay healthy in an advance stage of his career, and the club was hoping to sign Griezmann to help in the Club World Cup.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
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