Antoine Griezmann admits leaving Atletico Madrid for Barcelona was a ‘mistake’: “I wasn’t as happy as I was here”

Speaking at a ceremony hosted to honour him becoming Atletico Madrid’s all-time highest goalscorer, Antoine Griezman admitted that his move to Barcelona was a mistake.

The French superstar opted to leave Atletico Madrid for Barça in the summer of 2019, arriving in a deal worth €120 million.

But things never clicked for the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner in Catalonia as he struggled to make the kind of impact expected after the huge amount of money that was shelled out for signing.

After two middling seasons, Griezmann returned to Atletico Madrid on deadline day in the summer transfer window of 2021, signing on loan with a purchase clause that the Rojiblancos activated to re-sign him permanently.

Griezmann was not as happy as he was at Atletico

Now, opening up on his move to Barcelona from Atletico, Griezmann admitted that he was not as happy in Catalonia as he was in the Spanish capital club. As quoted by MARCA, he said:

“I decided to leave because I had reached my mental limit, I said it was the fault of others when I wasn’t giving the level, I was looking for an excuse and I said to myself, I have to leave because you always think that it’s better outside.

“I wanted to try and after a few months I realised that I wasn’t as happy as I was in Madrid and Atleti, I tried to come back and I remember the coach when he called me on the last day of the market, I told him I wanted to come back and I told my sister, ‘do everything possible to come back and I’ll do the rest’.”

Later on, the veteran forward went on to claim that he made a mistake by leaving, as he said: “I’ll give everything, it’s a joy and pride to be here, I made a mistake as anyone can make, but I’m doing everything to make them proud of their number 7 and to enjoy it together.”

Griezmann departed Barcelona after making 102 appearances, in which he managed a tally of 35 goals and 17 assists.