France international Antoine Griezmann recently achieved the milestone of becoming the all-time leading scorer for Atlético de Madrid. RMC Sport pundit Emmanuel Petit emphasizes that the 32-year-old’s accomplishments should not be overlooked compared to Kylian Mbappé.
Griezmann played a pivotal role in France’s victory at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and their runner-up positions at the UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Consequently, Petit commended the forward for his outstanding achievements both at the club and international levels.
“I find that he doesn’t have the praise and compliments he deserves,” Petit said (h/t RMC Sport). “This boy has had a phenomenal career with the French national team, even with his respective clubs.”
Additionally, Petit credits Griezmann for his production while playing in one of the top leagues in the world. As a result, it’s hard for the 1998 World Cup winner to say that Mbappé is a better player than the Atlético de Madrid star.
“Griezmann is a player who had to rehabilitate himself,” Petit added. “He won what more than Griezmann today? In all the final stages of the French team, he has been almost the best every time. It’s not an attack on Mbappé because he’s a superb player. It’s just to defend Griezmann. At the moment, I don’t rate Mbappé above Griezmann.
“If tomorrow he breaks records in a league other than Ligue 1, then I say ‘okay.’ Griezmann tried it in La Liga, which was the best league in the world for a while. He did what he did. I don’t see why we would put Mbappé above him in the club or the national team.”
Observing whether Petit’s perspective undergoes a shift if Mbappé secures a UEFA Champions League victory with Paris Saint-Germain or another club will be intriguing. Such an achievement could influence Petit’s opinions regarding the two French players.
