Barcelona star and French international Antoine Griezmann has hinted that he desires to end his football career in Major League Soccer when he is 32 or 33 years old. He added that the timing of his move to the MLS will be determined by the number of medals he has been able to win.
The American League is notorious for attracting players who have gone past their prime from top European clubs. It is almost seen as a retirement destination for footballers because of the high amount of wages the clubs at the league pay players.
European top stars like Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibramovinch, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javier Hernandez, Bacary Sagna, Bradley Wright-Phillips, David Beckham, Andrea Pirlo and many others had to leave Europe to America at the twilight of their careers.
Though players like Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibramovinch had to return to more competitive European football after spending some time in the league, the management of the league has always insisted that the league is not a dumping ground for tired leagues.
In the case of Antoine Griezmann who is currently 29-year-old, he said he would leave for the MLS but he would ensure that he would still be active when he joins the American league.
Griezmann told Los Angeles Times that he still has the dream of winning the Champions League and the Spanish La Liga with Barcelona. He added that if he had won whatever he has the opportunity to win in Europe and after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, he would start discussing a move to the MLS.
“Winning La Liga and the Champions League with Barca would be a dream, and also my objective,” he said. “After that winning whatever comes. There’s another World Cup so the World Cup in Qatar. And after that MLS.
“I don’t know with which team, but I really want to play there. For me, it’s an objective to end my career in the United States with the possibility of playing well and being a big part of the team and fighting for a title.”
This is not the first time Antoine Griezmann has revealed his plan of ending his football career in the MLS. In 2018, he told Le Figaro that he would go to the MLS and “quietly play” after the world cup and after he wins the Champions League.
“If the plan goes like that, I’d sign for that now. I don’t know at which age I want to play in MLS, it’ll all depend on the trophies I’ll have won beforehand”, he added.
Griezmann joined Barcelona in 2019 from Atlético Madrid where he played for 5 years. During his time at Madrid, he won every other tournament in Spain except the Spanish La Liga. He has also won the Europa League but he is yet to win the Champions League he so much desires.
