Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid's season started with a bang. Diego Simeone's side turned over ancient rivals Real Madrid in August's UEFA Super Cup final 4-2 in Tallinn, Estonia. It was vintage Atletico. The game was an arm wrestle. Diego Costa barrelled his way to two goals in normal time before Saul and Koke chipped in with two more to seal the victory in extra time.

Hopes of an epic season that held out the promise of a place in the UEFA Champions League final in Atletico's new stadium, the Wanda Metropolitano, foundered, however, on a bleak March night in Turin when their old nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo broke them once again. A hat-trick from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner helped Juventus overturn a two-goal lead from the round-of-16 first leg and progress 3-2 on aggregate. What mystified was the manner of the second-leg defeat—Atletico were lifeless.

"Atletico was scared in Turin," says Fran Guillen, a Madrid-based journalist and author of Diego Costa: The Art of War. "The team found itself in a scrap. They needed to fight like tigers, but several players were mentally very far from being at that level. For me it was a shock very similar to that match Atletico played in Munich against Bayern in the 2016 Champions League semi-final, but with a big difference: In Germany the team had conviction in battle (in that game Atletico lost 2-1 on the night but went through on away goals).

"In Turin, they lacked that hunger. This, in part, was because there are players on that team who are out of sync with Simeone's style of play. Thomas Lemar is the clearest example; others are showing the passage of time like Diego Godin and Juanfran. Together with the lack of leaders in the dressing room like former players Gabi, Fernando Torres or Raul Garcia has made the team lose something of its essence. A renewal of the squad is necessary."

The overhaul of the squad has already started. Bayern Munich have agreed to pay a massive €80 million fee for Lucas Hernandez. Guillen believes selling the versatile FIFA World Cup-winning defender was a good piece of business by Atletico.

"He's a phenomenal defender, but he's got two clear weak points: as a full-back, offensively, he is far from the level of the best Filipe Luis and, as a central defender, his aerial game has room for improvement. The club would have been happy to retain him, but for the amount of money that Bayern is paying, Atletico can buy a couple of very reliable defenders. It's worth pointing out, too: defenders, under Simeone's system, always appear better players than they really are." 

Lucas is one of more than half the starting XI in Tallinn who might have left the club by the start of next season. In the defence alone, there are question marks over the futures of Godin, Juanfran and Stefan Savic, while Filipe Luis, who was on the bench that night, may also leave.

The departure of 33-year-old captain Godin, who has been linked with a move to Inter Milan, would be the end of an era. Godin scored the goal that clinched Atletico's league title win against Barcelona at the Camp Nou in May 2014 and has been the epitome of Simeone's snarling, competitive Atletico side during their glory years. The defender is baulking at the club's policy of only offering players over 30 years of age one-year contracts.

"Godin is not at the level he used to be anymore," says Inako Diaz-Guerra, a journalist with El Mundo. "In normal conditions, Godin would become the club's third central defender behind Jose Maria Gimenez and—if he wasn't sold to Bayern Munich—Lucas. Godin would be around the dressing room. He would play the big matches.  

"But Atleti doesn't want to keep a player on the books for two or three years that is already experiencing decline. I don't like the idea. A squad of more than 20 players needs its veterans, its captains and the players that give character to a team. It's worth keeping them even if they are not at the top of their game anymore because they give you other things, maybe not on the pitch but in leadership. 

"But Atleti are very clear with their policy: They don't want the commitment of having to pay high salaries to players who don't deserve it anymore—not now maybe but in two years' time, so if Godin doesn't want to re-sign every year, it is a hard situation for everybody, and I understand he has to leave. Atleti want him to continue, but they want him to sign year by year, to see how it goes. This is what happened with Torres and Gabi in their final seasons at the club. It's the same reality for Juanfran and Filipe Luis."

One player who is far from the autumn of his career is Saul Niguez. The 24-year-old midfielder signed a nine-year contract renewal in 2017, but his future at the club is also up in the air. 

"Saul's agent is making moves in the English market," says Ladislao J. Monino, a journalist with El Pais. "The club doesn't want him to go, and they repeat his buyout clause is €150 million, but it's possible he will leave. We have to see how it plays out, but they don't discard that it could happen." 

Because of the need to balance the books, it's likely that only two of Atletico's three strikers—Costa, Alvaro Morata, who is on loan from Chelsea (with an option to purchase) and Antoine Griezmann—will be around next season. Rumours have been rife, including from AS, that Barcelona's interest in Griezmann has been re-awakened, following their failed pursuit of him last year. According to Marca, his buyout clause is an affordable €120 million. Earlier this week, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo told TVE that Griezmann was "1,000 per cent" staying.

"Up to this point, I have no news that he will go," says Diaz-Guerra. "Barcelona is very obstinate. At this point last year, Atleti thought he was leaving. At this point this year, Atleti thinks he will stay. It will be a long saga. Real Madrid are out of the Champions League, Atletico as well. The media has a lot of space to fill. All of it is speculation. If there is something happening, they are keeping it a secret because nobody in Atleti thinks it could happen. Could he go? We don't know. We're only in April. We'll have to see." 

It's a notable juncture for Simeone, who earns €41 million a year as the best-paid football coach in the world, according to France Football (h/t Marca). He has overseen a remarkable change in Atletico's fortunes. When he took over the team in December 2011, the club was four points from the relegation zone, hadn't beaten Real Madrid since 1999 and owed €120 million to the Spanish treasury.

Each season, Atletico had to sell star players—like Sergio Aguero and David De Gea the summer before Simeone arrived—to service its debt. Now, Atletico are a buying club. According to Diario AS, they have spent a net figure of €131.4 million on transfers over the last five seasons, more than twice the outlay of Real Madrid during that period. 

It will be interesting to see who Simeone brings in to re-arm for next season. There are several players who are being linked to the club. Manu Sainz of AS has reported Hector Herrera, a Mexican midfielder with Porto, is close to agreeing a free transfer; Porto wing-back Alex Telles is also of interest. 

Ruben Dias, a central defender with Benfica, has been linked with a move to Madrid, while Bayer Leverkusen's left-back, Wendell, could be chased, per Mundo Deportivo.

"The biggest surprise will be if Griezmann leaves, but I don't think there will be any surprising signatures in the summer," says Monino. "The club has been buying talented players like Lemar and Nico Gaitan, but none of them have succeeded. We'll have to see if they buy players in Simeone's style or if they buy players of quality. That's the debate—if they should buy players more adjusted to the 19th century or keep buying quality players like Lemar."

Can Simeone—with his trademark aggressive, defensive style of football and inspiring leadership, known by the faithful as "Cholismo"—take the club to another level, or is it plateauing as Spain's third-biggest club?

"It's part of human nature to believe you can always go further, but that's a little bit foolish," says Diaz-Guerra. "In this case, you have to analyse if Atletico can go further. Atleti with Simeone has demonstrated it was able to win a league title. It has regularly finished second in the league, as it did last season and probably will do so again this season. It competes every season in the Champions League, getting to finals in 2014 and 2016, and other years to the semi-final.

"Before Simeone took over, Atleti was a million miles from winning the Champions League. It hadn't won a league title in years. You have to be realistic. This season, Atletico's budget was about 14th of those teams competing in the Champions League. It wasn't a big drama to be eliminated by Juventus—who had one of the highest budgets and which had just bought Cristiano Ronaldo—with a goal in the 86th minute. In the hundred or more years of the club, Atletico has never been as high as it is now."

Barcelona have ceded a chink of light in the title race by dropping points to Villarreal midweek following an engrossing 4-4 draw. Atletico travel to the Camp Nou at the weekend. A win by Simeone's men would cut the deficit to five points with seven games to play amid a crowded fixture list for Barcelona, who still have designs on a treble. It will be fascinating to see if Godin and Co.—even if some of them have one foot out the door—can lift it for one last hurrah.

            

Follow Richard on Twitter: @Richard_Fitz

Antoine Griezmann has, once again, been heavily linked with Barcelona in recent days, but Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has said the Frenchman "is 1,000 per cent staying" at the club.

According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t MailOnline's Jack Kinnersley), Barca are ready to "reignite their interest" in Griezmann this summer after he turned them down a year ago. 

Cerezo has moved to quash the rumours with a clear denial of any reports linking Griezmann with an exit from the Wanda Metropolitano, per Spanish TV show El Rondo (h/t Marca):

"There is no chance that Griezmann leaves in the summer. He is 1,000 per cent staying."

Griezmann, 28, enjoyed a brilliant season in 2017-18 as he played a crucial role in Atleti winning the UEFA Europa League before going on to win the FIFA World Cup with France.

The current campaign has been less impressive.

Atleti have failed to launch a genuine title challenge—they are currently second in La Liga but 10 points behind Barca—and their UEFA Champions League campaign ended at the last-16 stage.

Griezmann has been Atletico's top scorer once again and the focal point of their attack.

But he has only returned 12 goals in 29 La Liga games, not brilliant for a player who has has passed the 20-goal mark in the Spanish top flight in two of the five seasons he has been at the club.

Griezmann's recent form has been particularly concerning for a club that will need a perfect end to the season to have any chance of fighting for the title:

Five games, three wins, no goals.

Antoine Griezmann did not have his shooting boots on for Atletico Madrid in March ⚽️❌ pic.twitter.com/dWyRAtPEMW

— GOAL (@goal) April 1, 2019

He remains arguably the most vital player in Diego Simeone's squad, and it would be a huge blow to their future prospects if they were to lose him.

Having only turned 28 late last month, Griezmann is in the prime years of his career.

His current contract with Atleti runs to 2023, giving the club a certain amount of confidence in their ability to keep him.

There are likely Atleti fans who still fear Griezmann could leave the club this summer if he is seduced by the prospect of winning major silverware consistently at Barca, but Cerezo's latest comments should have put their minds at ease. 

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has said he is "not worried" by the recent speculation regarding Barcelona's renewed interest in Antoine Griezmann. 

The France international was linked with a switch to the Camp Nou in the summer of 2018, although he eventually decided to sign a new contract with Atletico.

In recent weeks talk about continued interest from Barcelona has started to gather pace again. When asked about the rumours on Friday, Simeone said he's planning for next season with Griezmann in mind, per Goal:

"Honestly, I am not worried about the Griezmann issue. He is a captain of Atletico Madrid. He has always responded with football, with facts, what he wants. [...]

"If I imagine the next season without Griezmann? No, I can not imagine the next season without him because he has a contract with the club, he is one of the captains of Atletico, he gave everything since he arrived and I imagine tomorrow he will have a great match.

"Everything I imagine is around Griezmann."

While the rumours have continued to swirl, the forward focused on his football over the recent international break, netting in wins over Moldova and Iceland (UK Only):

An incredible backheel from Kylian Mbappé set up Antoine Griezmann for France's fourth goal against Iceland. 🤤 pic.twitter.com/lWECmhpTZb

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 25, 2019

😍 - Oh, Paul Pogba.

What an assist for the @ManUtd midfielder as Griezmann slams it in from close range! 🎁 pic.twitter.com/rNcQZr74Sh

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 22, 2019

Moises Llorens of ESPN FC reported on Friday the Barcelona hierarchy was split regarding a possible move for the Frenchman.

Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu is said to be keen on signing Griezmann in the upcoming transfer window. However, the club's recruitment team—including Pep Segura, Eric Abidal and Ramon Planes—are reportedly not so enthusiastic about a deal.

Llorens has previously reported that Griezmann is ready to leave Atletico and has made it clear to a number of clubs that he would be open to a move. Those teams are said to include Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Griezmann documented his choice to stay at Atletico last summer with a film entitled Le Decision and recently he released another documentary that charts his FIFA World Cup success with France.

The second film is called The Making of a Legend, a sentiment Bleacher Report's Dean Jones disagrees with:

"He might think he's a legend. He's not a legend."

@DeanJonesBR has his say on Antoine Griezmann's new Netflix documentary on #BRFootballRanks 👀

Subscribe: https://t.co/6e3v4GguK0 https://t.co/yNILAuJQeR

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 21, 2019

Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News was also critical of the program:

The Griezmann Netflix doc is what you’d expect from a footballer who marketed his decision to stay at Atletico. There are Oscar speech tears and it tries to paint Griezmann as the victim when Atletico fans booed him. Most enlightening bits are when his mentor Olhats speaks.

— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) March 27, 2019

Griezmann himself recently said he is "fed up" of the rumours, per Univision (h/t Marca), but it appears another summer of speculation is on the cards.

Barcelona are in need of another forward. While Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez remain world-class players, they are each into their 30s and aside from loan signing Kevin-Prince Boateng, the only centre-forward options available to manager Ernesto Valverde.

Griezmann has established himself as one of the best forwards in the game and would add a new dimension to the Barcelona attack. Still, after deciding against making the switch to the Blaugrana ahead of this campaign, it would be a surprise if the La Liga leaders made another significant push to sign the France star.

Antoine Griezmann has grown tired of being linked with a switch from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona.

The forward scored as France demolished Iceland 4-0 in 2020 UEFA European Championship qualifying in Paris on Monday, and the player was asked after the game about a potential move to the La Liga champions.

Speaking to Univision (h/t Liam Blackburn of Goal), Griezmann explained his feelings on the idea of a transfer to the Camp Nou.

"I'm already used to it and a little bit fed up," said Griezmann. "Every year it's the same, so I'm used to it."

France team-mate Samuel Umtiti was also on the scoresheet for his country, and said he thinks Griezmann would be a success at Barca but understands he is content in the capital.

Umtiti told Telefoot (h/t Blackburn):

"I know Antoine is very happy in Madrid. It's going well for him, it's a team that plays for him, and after that, in a career there are choices that we can take and that we can regret. But I know he feels good there. He could play in any club around the world because of his qualities, whether in Barcelona or elsewhere, and be happy and successful."

According to Luis F. Rojo of Marca, Barca will not return with a fresh offer to sign the Frenchman from Atleti. Griezmann's representatives have reportedly notified the Blaugrana of a drop in the player's contractual release clause, as it's reducing from €200 million to €120 million. However, Barca do not wish to pursue a deal.

The 28-year-old has experienced a fluctuating campaign but has managed to put up a decent return for his club.

Griezmann has scored 16 goals and produced nine assists in La Liga and Europe this season.

It seems the player's chances of a switch to Barca are over, but if he goes onto the market next summer, there will be plenty of interested parties.    

France manager Didier Deschamps has said there is "no problem" with Antoine Griezmann's focus after rumours resurfaced linking the Atletico Madrid striker with a move to Barcelona. 

Speculation regarding Griezmann's potential transfer to the Camp Nou has been revived of late, but Deschamps told reporters the gossip won't interrupt his star attacker's focus.

He said: "I have spoken with him, and he is relaxed. There is no problem with Antoine. If he is asked (about a move to Barcelona) then he may have to have a think. However, he had this speculation last summer, and it did not affect him and he went on to win the World Cup."

Deschamps addressed the media before France meet Moldova and Iceland in a pair of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers on Friday and Monday, respectively.

Griezmann was linked with a move to Catalonia before the 2018 FIFA World Cup last summer, but it was confirmed during the tournament that he had signed a new contract until 2023.

The Atleti attacker celebrated his 28th birthday on Thursday, and Goal chronicled his journey from La Liga unknown with Real Sociedad to life as one of La Liga's top forwards:

Happy 28th Birthday to Atletico Madrid and France striker @AntoGriezmann! 🎈 pic.twitter.com/SWPrDFqIiA

— GOAL (@goal) March 21, 2019

Barcelona are aware Luis Suarez, 32, is on the decline and will need replacing in the near future with no natural replacement among the Blaugrana's ranks.

Mark Ogden and Moises Laurens of ESPN FC reported Saul Niguez is one of the players at the Wanda Metropolitano who is considering an Atletico exit. The recent UEFA Champions League defeat to Juventus in the round of 16 is said to have left some stars under Diego Simeone charge questioning their futures.

Last season's UEFA Europa League was the first major trophy Griezmann has won with Los Rojiblancos—four years after his arrival—and the club is set to finish another campaign without silverware in 2018-19.

Bleacher Report's Dean Jones commented on Griezmann's reported regret:

“It’s entirely possible he looks around at Atletico and wonders how things might have gone if he'd joined Barcelona last summer" | @DeanJonesBRhttps://t.co/qALmptfShP

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 20, 2019

Alvaro Morata has only been at Atleti for a number of months after joining on loan from Chelsea, but he was also confident in Griezmann's commitment to the club. He told reporters: "I'm not worried. In general I see Antoine very happy with us. This is his home, and I think he's happy here."

Griezmann has scored 130 goals in 248 appearances for Atletico Madrid and remains one of Europe's deadliest finishers, but the player may wonder if his silverware aspirations are better served elsewhere.

The reported interest of Barcelona could help him realise those ambitions, though Deschamps' remarks suggest Griezmann has grown accustomed to the gossip by now.

It was supposed to be a moment that defined Antoine Griezmann's career, but a video release of La Decision from last summer has not had quite the impact he would have wanted.

In the short documentary, released via social media, the French striker brought an end to rumours surrounding a potential transfer to Barcelona by announcing he was staying at Atletico Madrid.

His intention will have been to bring a new feeling of ambition and drive to his La Liga club. His hope was to compete with Barca and Real Madrid for this season's title and finally win the UEFA Champions League.

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Yet over the past week, with a crushing European defeat to Juventus and a shock 2-0 loss domestically to Athletic Club Bilbao, his season is over. And now a report in L'Equipe claims a move to Barcelona might be back on.

He seems to be in an awkward situation, particularly with the release this week of a Netflix fly-on-the-wall movie titled Antoine Griezmann: The Making of a Legend.

To many, though, he's not a legend. And quite how the 27-year-old makes that tag fit his name seems uncertain.

Robbie Dunne is a sports journalist in Madrid who covers La Liga. He told B/R: "I think his documentary announcement was such a novel way to say he was staying that nobody really knew what to think. Maybe fans felt that if he really felt connected to the club, he wouldn't need a documentary to mull over it for so long.

"But at the same time they were delighted that a, let's say, top 10 player in the world was choosing them over Barcelona. It was another piece of evidence to suggest Atletico were chipping away at the big two's dominance.

"There was hope that this was the year, with Atletico's directors really setting out their stall about wanting to be in the Champions League final at the Wanda Metropolitano. The whole season has been a bit of a disaster really, and Atletico have so many questions to answer in the summer that there hasn't been much reaction yet."

After throwing away a two-goal lead over Juventus in the Champions League, it could be that this current team now disbands. It has been built on togetherness and solidity, yet Diego Godin and Lucas Hernandez are likely to leave this summer, which could result in Griezmann also considering his future more seriously.

"Godin is one of Griezmann's closest allies in the squad and the one who stopped the Atleti fans from booing him during the whole debacle last season," Dunne explains. "He was so important in convincing him to stay. Lucas Hernandez is possibly, and probably, on his way to Bayern Munich, which is another French player gone out of the squad. Thomas Lemar hasn't settled at all, and his future is in the air after Griezmann really pushed for that signing.

"Also, fans are probably thinking if they are going to rebuild, why not cash in on a player who is getting €20 million a year and spread those wages around a little. If the question over his future keeps popping up at every bump in the road, then why not eliminate the speculation by just getting rid while his value is still high."

Griezmann's output has generally been decent this season. He has contributed to 19 goals, with 12 of his own and seven assists from 28 La Liga matches, as well as adding four goals and two assists in the Champions League.

Geoff Gillingham, who is a writer for Marca, explained: "He went on a run from the middle of December until the middle of February where it felt like he was scoring every week, but after that, he went on a six-game goal drought, with two of those matches coming against Juve.

"All season, Atleti have lacked a clinical No. 9 alongside Griezmann, and I think that's taken its toll on him physically as the Frenchman has been their only realistic goalscoring threat for much of the campaign.

"Overall, he has performed well, but it feels like he hit his peak around December-January. I'm not sure how much of his recent dip in form can be put down to the fact he played a crucial role in France's World Cup victory.

"If you'd asked this even a month ago, I would have said he is not regretting his decision to stay. But the way in which the Juve and Athletic defeats have affected Atleti mentally perhaps underlines what this team is lacking: leaders in big moments. That ultimately comes back to Griezmann as the hope when Atleti renewed his contract—making him their highest-paid player by some distance—was that he would lead their new project while also being the man for the big occasion."

Juventus 3-0 Atletico
Athletic Club 2-0 Atletico

Playing a different tune this week 🙃 pic.twitter.com/tBgmZQ20WQ

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 16, 2019

After committing himself to Atleti, Griezmann signed a new deal to 2023. He is reported to earn £335,000 per week as part of the agreement, per the Daily Express, a signal of the club's faith in him to lead them to success.

"Griezmann himself has stated in the past that he is sitting at the same table as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but their respective performances in the Champions League last week underlined that clearly isn't true," says Gillingham. "I think it's entirely plausible that he looks around at this team and wonders how things might have gone if he'd joined Barcelona last summer."

Are Barcelona still an option for him? Sources close to Griezmann's camp told B/R there has not been any new contact with the Catalan outfit over a summer move. And while that may be true, other informed people around Madrid feel he may agitate for something fresh to open up.

His problem with Barca is that, while they are on the lookout for a striker, Luka Jovic of Eintracht Frankfurt has emerged as their top target. The style of forward they are looking for has changed and an offer of around £60 million would likely be needed to sign the 21-year-old Serb.

If they were to go back for Griezmann, it would be more complicated. He has a release clause in his contract, believed to be around £102 million if triggered in the 2019 summer window but rising after that. There is also a feeling among some at the club that he may not fit well with some of the personalities within the Barca dressing room. 

Mark Sochon is a La Liga expert in Madrid and feels Griezmann deserves more respect, but he admits it is a stretch to refer to him as a legend.

"He is certainly respected and rated highly by rival teams but is still rarely spoken about as being on the level of a Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar," he says. "Personally, I think he is at least worthy of being in that conversation, given he scored 40 goals for club and country and won the World Cup in 2018.

"However, as much as anything, it's indicative of him playing for Atleti, rather than Real or Barcelona. Despite everything they've achieved, media coverage of Spanish football is still so heavily focused on the traditional big two. We've seen examples of this in the past with someone like David Villa, who didn't really start to get the recognition he deserved until he joined Barcelona towards the end of his career.

"In truth, the documentary last summer didn't do him any favours in terms of the general perception of him, either. Atleti fans were obviously glad he stayed in the end, but they didn't like the way it was made into a media spectacle. He has a way to go before he could truly be referred to as a 'legend' even at Atletico Madrid let alone across the rest of the division."

Griezmann is being made to reflect heavily on his decision to stay in Madrid and will realise that beyond a Barca U-turn or a surprise move from Paris Saint-Germain, he is going to remain at the Wanda Metropolitano for the time being.

If he really wants to be considered in the same bracket as Ronaldo and Messi, he may have to do it the hard way. 

Lionel Messi did it again at the weekend in La Liga. He scored his 51st career hat-trick, which included a delicate lob over Real Betis goalkeeper Pau Lopez to round it off. Real Betis fans in the Benito Villamarin stadium serenaded his name in awe. He was so good that the Spanish sports newspaper Diario AS awarded him four stars out of three in its match summary. Still, though, he didn't make the cover image on its Monday morning edition.

It took something special to shove Messi off the front cover: a new world record. A few hours before he was wreaking havoc in Seville on Sunday, the women's football league in Spain, Liga Femenina Iberdrola, broke the record for attendance at a club game.

Some 60,739 fans turned up at Atletico Madrid's stadium, the Wanda Metropolitano, to watch a top-of-the-table clash between Atletico and Barcelona. Barca prevailed, winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Asisat Oshoala, who's scored five goals in five games, and England international Toni Duggan.

The win for Barca has cut the gap between the two sides to three points with six games to play in the league title race. The game aroused so much interest that it had to be moved from the 3,376-seater Cerro del Espino stadium—which Atletico's women's team shares with second-tier men's side Rayo Majadahonda—to the Wanda, which will host the men's UEFA Champions League final in June.

In case you thought it was a dream. Sports pages in Spain today. 🙆‍♀️
Lionel who?!
Brilliant by @marca & @diarioas.

📸 via @SC_ESPN. pic.twitter.com/IDk7sNvkyA

— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) March 18, 2019

The attendance at the Wanda smashed the previous record held for a women's club game—an encounter last year between Mexican clubs Tigres and Monterrey which was watched in front of 51,211 people. The surge in interest isn't an isolated occurrence, though. In January, for example, 48,121 packed into Athletic Bilbao's San Mames for a Spanish women's cup game between Athletic and Atletico Madrid.

Women's football is catching fire in Spain. 

"Well, it's true that Spain is a football-obsessed country—where [men's] football is the most popular sport, and has become very strong internationally. And now fortunately for us we've seen tremendous growth in the women's game as well over the last three to four years," says Amparo Gutierrez, who heads up women's football at one of the country's most famous clubs, Sevilla FC.

It has been an extraordinary rise. The country's national women's professional league dates back to 1988, when nine teams—including Barcelona, Espanyol and several smaller clubs—inaugurated a competition overseen by the Royal Football Federation of Spain. For many years, it treaded water. In 2015, La Liga took over the reigns, and it was the start of a sea change.

https://twitter.com/MHChehade/status/1090757618996514817

"When in 2015 the clubs asked us to come on board, what we found was a competition without visibility, without a commercial strategy or a stable presence on television," says Pedro Malabia, head of women's football at La Liga.

"Our great challenge was to start a series of initiatives that would help to create a quality product—one that would attract the attention of fans, sponsors and media. Our goal was to increase the appeal of women's football—and to professionalise its league.

"The creation of the Association of Women's Football Clubs—which currently includes 70 women's football clubs across the premier and second divisions—has allowed the clubs to carry out promotion strategies and work together for the growth of the sector. The entry of Iberdrola, too, as the main sponsor was a key moment. It has been a main driver of the competition."

Basque utilities firm Iberdrola came on board as a sponsor in 2016. In early March, Mediapro extended its TV deal with the league until 2022, which guarantees €9 million for the league's coffers over three seasons. It's not all about money and business acumen, though. Social change has also played its part in the explosion of interest. Over the last 15 years, the number of women playing football in Spain has increased fourfold.

"There have been a lot of changes in society in that time," says Gutierrez, 36, who retired a few years ago as a player, having spent the bulk of her career as a defender with Sevilla as well as representing Spain. "People have changed their mentality about the role of women in sports and in other areas of life.

"I lived through a complicated era, because when I started to have a passion for football, I couldn't play with boys. Girls who played football were kind of seen as weirdos. It wasn't normal. The social scene for women then was different. Your options were limited. For me, I had to leave home to follow my dream of becoming a footballer.

"Now it's normal to see mixed teams from a very young age. Everything has changed completely from my time. Back then, it was a fight. You always had the sensation you were swimming against the tide, but I chased my dream. I managed to enjoy a full career. We had to break down a lot of barriers for the girls who play now."

Even those women coming a decade after Gutierrez—the stars of today's Liga Iberdrola—had to fight their own battles. Alba Mellado, 27, is captain of Madrid CFF, Atletico's big city rival. When she was growing up, she had no female role models in the game because women's football wasn't televised in Spain.

"I didn't have female references in the world of football," says Mellado. "Messi, Ronaldinho, players like this, were the ones I followed. I used to play with boys on my school futsal team until I was 15 years old—even though I was playing with girls from the age of 12 when I joined the youth academy at Atletico Madrid."

Mellado also trains girls' teams in Madrid CFF's youth academy—eight- and nine-year-olds as well as the 12- to 13-year-olds, a team that competes in a league featuring predominantly boys' teams and has been obliterating its opponents—the team has scored more than 300 goals while only conceding about a dozen this season. The heavy defeats it has been doling out haven't passed without comment.   

"You do hear comments from parents on the sidelines," says Mellado about her all-conquering charges. "It's not strictly machista [sexist] stuff, but when my girls win against boys' teams, you hear the boys' parents say to them: 'You lost today because you didn't run enough.' They never admit that their boys lost because the girls were better footballers than them."

Vero Boquete, 31, is Spain's all-time top-scorer. The stadium in her Galician hometown, Santiago de Compostela, is named after her, which is quite an accolade for a player who is still active. Aged 31, she's part of the Utah Royals FC roster in the United States' NWSL.

In 2013, she set up a petition pressuring EA Sports to include female footballers in the FIFA games. The campaign snowballed. She gathered 20,000 signatures within 24 hours, and by 2015, the company caved in, including Boquete, her Spain teammates and 11 other national teams as part of its FIFA 16 release.

A lot done. More to do. Although Liga Iberdrola is on the up, it still isn't generating enough money to ensure all the players from the 16 teams in its premier division can make a living from the game. Salaries vary from €300 a month to €7,800. Many players have to find supplementary work to make ends meet. Logrono, who beat Mellado's Madrid CFF 2-1 on Sunday, pays some of its players €4,500 a season. Its annual budget is €550,000, while Barca's is €3 million.

Real Madrid have yet to enter a team in the league. "At La Liga, we do not believe in enforcement but in working to develop the best possible environment so that everyone wants to be a part of it," says Malabia.

It will be interesting to see how much longer the world's most famous football club will opt out of a burgeoning enterprise.

Mellado also attributes part of the rise in popularity of women's football to the recent exploits of its girls on the international stage: "The big turning point was when Spain's under-age teams achieved success—when they started reaching finals and winning tournaments. This caused a growth in interest."

In December 2018, for instance, Spain won the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, defeating Mexico 2-1 in the final in Uruguay. This victory came only a few months after the country lost to Japan in the final of the U-20 Women's World Cup in France.

The French are also set to host the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, which kicks off in June. If Spain fares well, it could cause another spike in popularity in a sport that is starting to transfix both men and women in the country.

                     

Follow Richard on Twitter: @Richard_Fitz

Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann said the team feels "f--ked up" following their UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Juventus on Tuesday. 

Having turned in a brilliant performance in the first leg to secure a 2-0 lead, Atletico were favourites to progress into the quarter-finals of the competition. However, they were dominated on Tuesday, with Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick for Juve enough to see them through.

After the match, Griezmann said the team had been left angry by the manner in which they performed and added he was not pleased with his own display, per Movistar Liga de Campeones (h/t Goal).

"Everyone is f--ked up and I feel guilty, because I could not keep up with the pace of the game," said the Frenchman. "... I do not know what to say to the fans. We're screwed. They have been superior at all levels. We can not let them win 3-0. It has not been our day."

There's no doubt it was a night to forget for Atletico:

Atletico choke on the big stage pic.twitter.com/A9k7RoWPgH

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 12, 2019

Here are the highlights from a remarkable game in Turin, with Ronaldo once again proving he is the man for the big occasion (U.S. only):

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1105604384220741633

While clearly annoyed by the team's performance and his own efforts, Griezmann praised the hero of the evening following his incredible display.

"Cristiano has taken the measure to the whole world because he is a great player," said the Atletico star. "In the first leg we managed to give him no chances, and today he had three and all three went in."

Per The Spanish Football Podcast, Griezmann appeared a little shellshocked after Juventus mounted their comeback:

Shocked Griezmann with that hair looks like he's actually been electrocuted pic.twitter.com/82dcEXTfgy

— The Spanish Football Podcast (@tsf_podcast) March 12, 2019

Griezmann and his fellow forward Alvaro Morata struggled to make their mark on the game, as Atletico were sat deep in a defensive shape from almost the first whistle.

Juventus worked the ball wide with ease and frequently managed to get dangerous deliveries into the area. Atletico were left clearing possession away in a frantic manner, meaning the service into their star forward was poor all night.

While this defensive approach has worked for Atletico in the past, it was clear they were hanging on from an early stage in the game. Spanish football journalist David Cartlidge was critical of the manner in which manager Diego Simeone set the side up:

People call what happened in the CL finals a bottle job from Atleti. Nah, tonight, that was a true bottle job. In the past they’ve turned up, not been good enough. Tonight, they didn’t even bother.

— David Cartlidge (@davidjaca) March 12, 2019

With the final of this season's competition being played at Atletico's Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, the Madrid side would have been desperate to continue their progression and keep dreams of a first European Cup alive.

Griezmann enjoyed the best year of his career in 2018, helping Atletico to the UEFA Europa League and France to the FIFA World Cup. With the Champions League gone and a seven-point gap to make up on Barcelona in La Liga, 2019 looks as though it will much less prosperous year for the forward.

Atletico Madrid and France forward Antoine Griezmann has named Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong as the most challenging player he has come up against. 

De Jong, who has agreed to join Barcelona from the Dutch giants in the summer, is rated as one of the best prospects in world football and shone for the Netherlands when they beat France 2-0 in November.

Griezmann was impressed, and despite having played in some of the biggest matches in the game, the Frenchman said the 21-year-old stands out.

"I would say De Jong from Ajax because I tried to put pressure on him and never succeeded." the Atletico star told Oh My Goal. 

Per Copa90, Griezmann isn't the only high-profile footballer to have had high praise for De Jong:

🚨 Frenkie De Jong to Barcelona has been confirmed and Xavi has got high hopes for him 🙏

Will he be the next Sergio Busquets? 👀 pic.twitter.com/U4U83xY1YI

— COPA90 (@Copa90) January 23, 2019

Griezmann was also asked who he would rate as the best footballer in history and named two of his long-term La Liga rivals—Barcelona's Lionel Messi and former Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now at Juventus.

"Well you know it depends on the era, but I would say Messi or Cristiano," he said. "I never saw how Pele or Maradona played. It's a tough question. Everyone has their own style. There's also [Zinedine] Zidane. Zidane won the World Cup. Messi and Ronaldo never have."

Griezmann also opted for Diego Costa as his favourite team-mate. "He allows me to play so freely," said the Frenchman. "He's a guy I work really well with on the pitch. We understand each other with a single look, we know where we're both at."

Having played against some of the best players of his generation, the fact Griezmann holds De Jong in such high esteem is testament to the young midfielder's talent. So often in games the Atletico man is tasked with shutting down the deep-lying playmaker, although De Jong was able to evade his harrying.

Per WhoScored.com, early in his career De Jong has developed a reputation for being able to beat challenges:

Frenkie de Jong: Of the 177 players to have attempted more than 25 dribbles, De Jong has a better dribble success rate (86.2%) than any other player since the start of the 2017/18 Eredivisie season

For more player stats -- https://t.co/bxHlmKwlDq pic.twitter.com/oKAb8mNGRX

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) January 23, 2019

Next season, Griezmann will be coming up against the Dutchman again, although there doesn't appear to be a guarantee he will be a regular starter for Ernesto Valverde's side yet. The Blaugrana, after all, have many midfield options at their disposal:

Barca got options 😍 pic.twitter.com/3zBagIBAVz

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 21, 2019

The comments from Griezmann will only add to the hype surrounding De Jong. For Griezmann and others who will be in opposition to him in La Liga for years to come, finding a way to nullify his influence looks as though it will be an unenviable challenge.

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has apologised for the manner in which he celebrated his team's opening goal against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

The La Liga side earned a memorable 2-0 win at the Wanda Metropolitano in the first leg of their last-16 showdown. Jose Maria Gimenez broke the deadlock for the hosts, prompting an obscene celebration from Simeone that saw the Atletico boss grab his crotch.

The Atletico manager said sorry for his actions on Saturday, per Sport: "I apologise to the people that were offended by my gesture the other day—and to Juventus. It was a bad way to express what I felt about my players' [performance]. I hope we can close the issue now."

Simeone said he made the gesture because "it meant that we have balls." The coach referenced the bold decision to play both Koke and Diego Costa in such a high-profile game following recent injury layoffs.

MailOnline Sport provided a photo of the celebration and noted it's not the first time Simeone has reacted in this manner:

'It's not a nice gesture, but I felt the need to do it'

Diego Simeone says sorry for 'cojones' celebration during win over Juventus... but it's not the first time he's used ithttps://t.co/gon2QMm9lR pic.twitter.com/Pa84rU3klZ

— Mail Sport (@MailSport) February 21, 2019

The win was an emotional occasion for Atletico, as they battled to an impressive win against a high-class Juventus side.

After a tight first period, the capital club took control of the game in the second half and eventually got the goals their dominance deserved through Gimenez and his centre-back partner Diego Godin.

Sid Lowe of the Guardian commented on what felt like a huge night for los Rojiblancos:

That was much more significant than ‘just’ (!) a 2-0 win over Juventus

— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) February 20, 2019

It was a display indicative of the team Simeone has built at Atletico. While they are defensively focused and often sit deep for long spells, when they pile forward, they do so with intent. The Madrid outfit are also dangerous from set-piece situations, as illustrated by the two goals scored on Wednesday.

Per Copa90, Atletico have been a difficult opponent to get the better of under Simeone:

😳 Under Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid have kept more clean sheets at home than they've conceded goals 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/LUgqWXllXA

— COPA90 (@Copa90) February 21, 2019

Simeone recently agreed a contract extension up until 2022 in a major boost for Atletico.

The fans will be desperate to see the club continue their progress in the Champions League this season, as the final will be played at the Wanda. The return leg of their showdown with Juventus will be in Turin on March 12.

It will be a challenge for Atletico, although with their excellent defensive record, they are now big favourites to progress to the quarter-finals.