The French forward has re-established himself among the elite players over the past 12 months, but has received little to no recognition.
On October 30, France Football announced the final Ballon d’Or rankings for 2023. The names hit social media at a star-studded gala in Paris, featuring the most notable players of the past 12 months.
There were Jamal Musiala, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard who earned places in the top 20. This also applied to players such as Mo Salah, Lautauro Martinez and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Lionel Messi, of course, won his eighth Ballon d’Or, closely followed by Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr.
One name that might have surprised those looking at the list was Antoine Griezmann, who finished a lowly 21st after a season that saw Atlético Madrid leave Europe early and run out of trophies in Spain. That he was shortlisted at all might have surprised some, but in reality, Griezmann’s final ranking did him no favours.
That sentiment is shared by Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who told GOAL this week that he “couldn’t believe it” when he heard Griezmann’s Ballon d’Or ranking.
Since the start of the 2022 World Cup in November last year, the 32-year-old striker has scored 25 goals and added 17 assists for his club and country.
He was the architect of an unbeaten Euro 2024 qualifying campaign for France, while in the opening months of the current season Diego Simeone’s nine goals put Diego Simeone’s side in a good position to claim their first La Liga title in three years .
On Sunday, when Atleti travel to take on Griezmann’s former club Barcelona, ’The Little Prince’ will have the chance to complicate the Catalans and deal another blow to Barça.
Source: Goal