Former Barcelona superstar recalls title loss to Atletico Madrid in 2021

As a Barcelona player, Antoine Griezmann failed to win a La Liga title during his two-season stint and the only honour he could muster was a Copa del Rey trophy during the 2020-21 season.

In the same season, Barcelona endured two draws and a defeat in their last four La Liga matches, prompting them to slip to the third spot in the table.

Reminiscing that moment, Griezmann admitted that while it was tough for the Blaugrana, Atletico Madrid deserved the title.

“It was very difficult because we at Barça were also close to winning it. We [Barça] lost against Granada at home and that killed us a little mentally,” he said [h/t Barca Universal]. 

“But at the same time, I was very happy because Atletico deserved it, and for Koke, for Cholo [Diego Simeone], who means a lot to me. 

The French international admitted that since Koke is one of his best friends, he was happy for him, especially after watching his celebratory videos with his family.

“Koke is one of my best friends. I was very happy for him. When I saw the video with all his family and friends at home with the cup, I was laughing a lot. I was so happy and proud of him,” he said.

Barcelona’s nightmare became a reality

Until April 29, 2021, Barcelona were on course to challenge both Atletico and Real Madrid for the title. On the day, they were scheduled to take on Granada at home and what followed next broke Barcelona’s character.

After Messi had given Barcelona a lead, second-half goals from Darwin Machis and Jorge Molina put them behind, eventually leading to a 1-2 defeat. From that point on, the Blaugrana played a 0-0 draw against Atletico and a 3-3 draw against Levante.

In the penultimate game of the season, they lost 1-2 against Celta Vigo, meaning that a 1-0 win over Eibar made little to no difference.