Impact on Europe: Antoine Griezmann leaves Atlético Madrid and will be Orlando City's new reinforcement

Antoine Griezmann will close his time at Atlético de Madrid at the end of the season and continue his career in Major League Soccer (MLS). The Spanish club confirmed the agreement with Orlando City, which will incorporate the French forward as of July 2026 as a Franchise Player

.

The operation took place after the soccer player himself traveled to the United States for a period of rest, with authorization from Atlético, to finalize the details of his contract. The link will run until the 2027-28 season, with the option of extending it for another year

. The

red and white team highlighted the importance of their figure in the club's recent history. “In this way, the top scorer in the history of our club will undertake a new professional challenge in the MLS next summer after wearing red and white colors for 10 seasons,”

they said in a statement.

In parallel, Orlando City also made official the arrival of the world champion in 2018, who will have his first experience outside of European football. “From my first conversations with the Club, I could sense great ambition and a clear vision for the future, and that convinced me. I'm really looking forward to making Orlando my new home, meeting the fans, feeling the energy of the Inter&Co Stadium and giving everything to help the team achieve great things,”

said the attacker.

On the other hand, through a farewell letter, Griezmann also dedicated a few words to Atlético and emphasized his emotional bond with the club: “It's not easy to put words to what I feel, because this club is my home and you are my family. It has been an incredible journey, full of unforgettable games, goals, joy and a passion that only those of us who feel like Atleti can

understand.”

Despite his confirmed departure, the forward assured that he still has goals ahead of him before closing his cycle: “I'm not leaving yet. I have months left with this shirt, months to leave my life in our stadium and out, to lift that King's Cup and to dream of going as far as possible in the Champions League

.”

“We still have many opportunities to be happy ahead of us. I want every minute I have left here to be a tribute to this shield. The best is left. We'll do it as always: together. My present remains red-and-white until the last breath of this 2026 season. And my heart will be forever,” he concluded.

Griezmann's numbers in Atlético

Throughout his two cycles (2014-2019 and 2021-2026), the French striker has so far played 35,833 minutes with the Colchonero jersey, spread over 488 games, in which he scored 211 goals and gave 97 assists.

In terms of titles, he won three: Spanish Super Cup (2014), Europa League (2017-18) and European Super Cup (

2018).