Invited before the media this Thursday to unveil his list for the Blues’ next two matches, Didier Deschamps spoke at length about the international retirement of Antoine Griezmann.
This Thursday at the start of the afternoon, Didier Deschamps revealed his list of players selected to face Israel and Belgium, on October 10 and 14, in the Nations League. A list in which Antoine Griezmann does not appear,
who announced his international retirementto everyone’s surprise, this Monday. A carefully considered decision, according to the French coach, who did not try to change his mind.
“What can I say about Grizou, my darling? This is not a decision made on a whim. He matured his decision and made a successful decision like other players before him. Since he was 18, he has played professionally with very few injuries. And there at 33 and a half years old, he asked himself a question that many players can ask themselves. There is physical fatigue and psychological fatigue. And in his reflection which has begun, he will talk about it himself and I am not going to say it even if we talked at length. It’s a decision that suits him well and it’s not constrained or forced”confided DD at a press conference.
Deschamps: “Without his decision, he would be here today”
“I’m not going to go into the details of his decision but he was already thinking about it during the last competition, he added. It happened to players like Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane. There is the physical dimension with the calendars which will not get better but there is the psychological fatigue. During the discussion, I had an Antoine Girezmann who came full circle. »
And Deschamps continued his tribute and assured that “Grizi” would have been present at Clairefontaine next week if he had not made the decision to hang up.
“It’s funny not seeing him. (…) I can only thank him for everything he has done and contributed to the French team, he declared. He’s not stopping his career either. This is a very good example for young people to follow. It hasn’t been easy for him in his career, including with the French team. He was always generous. He was a leader on the pitch, in his own way, he was spontaneous. It’s a page that is turning. (…) He had his place, there was no need to try to convince him. This was not Antoine in deep thought. He had already made his decision after careful consideration. Without his decision, he would be here today. »
