Barcelona News: Antoine Griezmann ready for Barca's UCL chase; says winning LaLiga is 'really tough'

What's the story?

New Barcelona signing Antoine Griezmann has admitted that while the Catalan giants are gunning for European glory next season, he is yet to get accustomed to a higher set of expectations since he hasn't even lifted the LaLiga trophy yet.

In case you didn't know...

Griezmann, who made a €120 million transfer to Camp Nou a few weeks ago, is yet to win the coveted Champions League trophy and LaLiga title, having failed to do so during his time with Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid.

The France international won the Segunda División title in his debut season with Real Sociedad but made a switch to Atletico Madrid in 2014 for a then-record fee of €30 million.

The forward quickly established himself as an influential figure in the Rojiblancos squad, helping the Madrid outfit to a Europa League title, the Supercopa de Espana and the UEFA Super Cup.

The 28-year-old came close to winning the Champions League and LaLiga a number of times during his stint with Atletico Madrid, but the two prestigious titles always managed to elude the club.

The heart of the matter

In a recent interview, Griezmann pointed out that while his new club is keen on lifting the European trophy, winning the Spanish top-flight itself is not an easy task.

The forward cited his inability to win the domestic title despite having played in the country for a decade as an example of the difficulty of the achievement.

Speaking to Sport English, the World Cup winner said:

"We're talking about the Champions League because we haven't won it but LaLiga is also a really difficult competition to win. I've been playing in LaLiga since I was 18 and I haven't won it. It's really tough. It looks easy because Barça win year after year but it's really difficult."

He added:

"All the powerful teams in Europe want to win it. But one mistake, on one night, can be the difference between winning and losing. Our objective is to lift every trophy - and that includes the Champions League."

What's next?

Barcelona are adamant on winning the Champions League in a season that will prove to be crucial for manager Ernesto Valverde, who faced criticism after the team's collapse in the semi-finals last campaign.

The Blaugrana will next face Arsenal in a clash for the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 4.