3 reasons why Antoine Griezmann deserves the Ballon d'Or award this year

The year 2018 will live on as a memorable one in the hearts of many footballers, especially because it afforded many superstars the opportunity to move their respective careers forward, including Atletico Madrid hitman Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman is one of those players who benefited immensely during the term - putting up a lot of scintillating performances, reaching new milestones in his career as well as earning nominations for prestigious accolades.

The attacker was left frustrated after he was snubbed during the FIFA Best Awards recently despite his incredible exploits during the year and he stepped up to express his disappointments shortly afterwards - declaring himself as a worthy candidate to win the upcoming Ballon d'Or award - something that was met with a lot of mixed reactions, with some agreeing with him and others opposing his opinion.

However, an analysis of the Atletico Madrid sharpshooter reveals that he has had a wonderful year and he should be honored for his incredible exploits during the course of the term. As a matter of fact, Griezmann deserves to claim the Ballon d'Or award this year and below are 3 reasons why:

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#3 Explosive Performances

Griezmann was one of the most impressive superstars in Europe during the previous term

There is no denying Antoine Griezmann was one of the top performers in the football world throughout the previous campaign, consistently producing extraordinary performances and pushing his team towards glory.

The attacker bagged an unbelievable 19 goals and 9 assists to his name in 32 La Liga last appearances last season and while his 2 goals and 2 assists were not enough to keep Atletico in the UEFA Champions League, he still ensured that the Rojiblancos finished their Europa campaign on a brilliant note with his 6 goals and 4 assists in 8 matches.

The French International finished the term with a whopping 29 goals and 15 assists to his name in 49 appearances for the Spanish giants across all competitions and he deserves to be honored for such impressive performances during the campaign.

#2 Europa League success

The attacker ran riot as Atletico Madrid cruised to the Europa League trophy last season

A couple of poor results during the group stages of the UEFA Champions League meant that Atletico Madrid was forced to take part in Europe's second-tier club tournament - the Europa League, and Griezmann would still prove to be the most influential player for the Spanish giants during the course of the competition.

The attacker performed at an extraordinary level in the Europa League, bagging an amazing 6 goals and 4 assists in 8 appearances for the Rojiblancos, including a brilliant brace against Olympique Marseille in the final to lead the Spanish outfit to claim the prestigious trophy once more.

The Frenchman was presented with the Player Of The Tournament award for his eye-catching displays throughout the competition and he also deserves to be recognized as the best player in the word when the Ballon d'Or gala holds in December.

#1 The FIFA World Cup triumph

Griezmann led France to claim the prestigious FIFA World Cup trophy in Russia

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest stage in football and Antoine Griezmann proved that he deserves to win the biggest individual award in the sport with his electrifying performances in the prestigious tournament that took place in Russia recently.

The Frenchman was at an unbelievable level in the competition, putting in a couple of scintillating displays in the tournament as well as leading his nation to claim the prestigious trophy for the second time in their history.

Griezmann was without doubts, one of the top performers in Russia and he ended the tournament with an impressive 4 goals and 2 assists to his name. Having added the FIFA World Cup triumph to his Europa League success this year, it is quite undeniable that Griezmann deserves to go home with the Ballon d'Or accolade in December.