Antoine Griezmann apologised to Atletico Madrid’s fans for the “hurt” he caused them by leaving the club, after scoring the only goal in their 1-0 LaLiga win at Athletic Club on Saturday.
Griezmann’s return was made permanent on Monday — signing a contract until 2026 — after Atletico and Barcelona agreed a €20 million transfer fee, ending a dispute over the forward’s loan agreement which saw him used as a substitute for most of this season.
Under the terms of the two-year loan agreed in 2021, Atletico were due to pay €40m if the player featured for over 45 minutes in 50% of the games for which he was available, leading the club to order manager Diego Simeone to keep him on the bench in an attempt to force Barca into a compromise.
“I’m very proud to have finally been able to get to this point, to be able to renew [my contract] and to be an Atletico player completely,” Griezmann said on Saturday.