Atletico Madrid star, Antoine Griezmann has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world, but also hopes that he would overtake him in two years. Speaking to Goal after finishing third in Goal’s annual ‘Goal 50’ award, the former Real Sociedad star expressed his happiness at being awarded.
He also added that winning the award meant that he is on the right track and that he must keep working hard if he is to become the best.
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“It’s good to be as high in the rankings as third,” Griezmann told Goal. “I hope to be second next year and first in two years. I’m very happy both on and off the field. I am equally happy to receive this prize after being named the Best Player in La Liga last season. This tells me that I’ve had a good season and I’m on the right track. Now I must keep working.”
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When asked about who are the top three players of this year, Griezmann made the surprise choice of Jamie Vardy in his top three.
“Cristiano Ronaldo first, as he’s won two titles, then Lionel Messi because he’s unique and after that maybe Jamie Vardy for winning the English title with Leicester.
“Ronaldo and Messi are two monsters, two legends. In 10 years, the world will say that no-one will ever be able to equal them. I’m going to try and get as close as possible and to continue to raise my level each year to become the best player possible.”
After the final of the Euros, I had a difficult week: Griezmann
Even though he had a terrific time individually, both his teams, Atletico Madrid and France, lost in the two finals that they were in. And he admitted that it was hard for him to get over it.
“After the final of the Euros, I had a difficult week thinking about the final of the Champions League and the European Championship. It was hard to sleep but eventually we got used to it and we’ll try to win a trophy [this season] to forget about it,” he said.
He further stated that he would like to replicate Atleti’s successes again, but this time going all the way to win it.
“[With Atletico] we’ll do everything we can to make sure it happens. It will be difficult, like the last season, but we’re going to try. With France we’re attempting to qualify for World Cup 2018 so we can do something great in Russia.”
Meanwhile, when asked about his opinion for the top three coaches of the year, he said: “My two coaches: Diego Simeone and Didier Deschamps. After them, Claudio Ranieri for his work at Leicester.
The choice of Claudio Ranieri was justified by the Frenchman as he claimed that the Italian did the unthinkable with the Foxes by winning the Premier League after just avoiding relegation the season prior.
“Leicester’s title was unexpected, especially against teams like Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. It’s something incredible that they won the championship.”
He finally concluded his interview by calling for the French media to show more support for their players. This comes to light after their heavy criticism of them for the Euro 2016 loss. He stated that reading good thing about themselves is always a plus point and helps lift the mood of the players.
“I said this with regards to [the criticism of] Paul Pogba and myself during Euro 2016,” he explained. “Even if we say that negative press doesn’t affect us, a story can change our mood. I asked for a little support and there has been an improvement. That’s not to say it’s all good.
“For us on the field, it helps us to read good articles. It’s a win-win, I think. We must continue to work and produce beautiful football for everyone. It’s not really important to be recognised, but more to have support. It can only help us when we arrive at stadiums and fans are shouting our names. That’s the best and that can help us most.”
