The date of November 13 brings back particularly painful memories for Antoine Griezmann.
The evening of November 13, 2015 is etched in everyone’s memory. Antoine Griezmann has particularly painful memories of it. And the explosions heard while he was on the pitch at the Stade de France, where the Blues were hosting Germany, are not the most memorable memory for the French striker. The Mâconnais experienced a long anguish after the match when he learned that the terrorists had carried out a series of attacks in the heart of Paris, causing the death of 130 people and nearly 400 injured.
While his parents were in the stands at the Stade de France, his sister Maud was in fact at the Bataclan to attend the Eagles of Death Metal concert. A concert targeted by terrorists who murdered no less than 90 people among the 1,500 spectators.
“I knew that Maud, a music fan, was attending a concert in Paris. But I didn't know where. I called my mother, who was in the stands with my father. Where is Maud? I asked. At a concert by I-don't-know-who but it's not at the Bataclan, she replied with confidence. I insisted, as if I had a presentiment: Give me the name of the group… It's a rock group, my mother replied. Also dry, I replied: I know it: I know that it's the group that played at the Bataclan, in this case Eagles of Death Metal”, he said in his autobiography Behind the Smile, published in 2017.
Antoine Griezmann doesn't want to talk about it anymore
“I tried to contact her. She didn't answer. I left messages. I went in the shower, he continued. I quickly joined my parents in the players' lounge. They confirmed to me that my sister was at the Bataclan, with a friend. We were very scared. The anxiety was powerful. Impossible to know if she was okay. She ended up picking up. Maud spoke in a low voice. Then the conversation was cut off. Once again, his phone was unresponsive. Very late in the night, she was able to call my mother, explaining to her that she had gone out after the intervention of the police. She took refuge in a restaurant, with other survivors, while the police continued operations inside. The relief was extreme. I thank the one at the top…”
Maud Griezmann in turn spoke of the events in a documentary dedicated to the world champion. Griezmann confidential. “Antoine is a very modest person, she explained in particular. He said to me: “There you go, this happened to you, I am aware of it, I know that you are a strong person, you will move forward.” And there you have it, since that day we have never spoken about it again. Even with my parents, it's not a subject that we really explored, discussed, blabbered, no no. We talked about it once, around the table, and we moved on. »
