“He told me that when I rejected the first chance to go I screwed him” - When Griezmann addressed talk of rift between him and Lionel Messi

Antoine Griezmann had dismissed reports of a rift with Lionel Messi at Barcelona after his former representative hit out at the club legend. The Frenchman had stated that the Argentine legend was upset the transfer did not happen at the first chance but was not angry with him.

Speaking on Universe Valdano via Marca in 2020, Griezmann had stated that he had cut ties with Eric Olhats after moving to Barcelona. He had also claimed that the comments from his former representative were unwarranted.

Griezmann had said:

“I said in my presentation with Barcelona that I didn’t want to speak off the pitch but on it, but I think it’s time to put things right. I’ve been putting up with things and comments for a long time, and enough is enough. I stopped having a relationship with (former representative Eric Olhats) the day I got married. He speaks because neither my father or my sister will speak to the press. Leo knows I have a lot of respect and admiration for him.”

“I spoke with Leo when I arrived and he told me that when I rejected the first chance to go I screwed him because he had asked for it publicly. But he told me he was [fine] with me, and I notice that every day," he added.

Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi played 85 matches together for Barcelona and combined for 12 goals. The Frenchman scored five of them, while the Argentine scored the rest. They only managed to win one trophy – the Copa del Rey in the 2020-21 season.

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What had Antoine Griezmann's representative said about Lionel Messi at Barcelona?

Antoine Griezmann's representative, Eric Olhats, had called Lionel Messi a 'cancer' at Barcelona. He claimed that the Argentine was angry with Griezmann, making it hard for the Frenchman at Camp Nou.

He had told France Football in 2020:

“Antoine arrived in a struggling club where Messi has a view on everything. He’s at the same time emperor and monarch, and he didn’t see Antoine’s arrival with a good eye. His attitude has been deplorable, he made him feel that. I’ve always heard Antoine say there’s no problem with Messi, but never the other way around."

“In my eyes, Messi said he wanted to leave to see what role he still had as a decision-making player, regarding the players who arrived and those who left, but he eventually stayed. Classic Messi! As good on the pitch as he is bad off it Barcelona has been suffering for a while. There was a cancer in that club, and it obviously leaves some marks," he added.

Antoine Griezmann left Barcelona in 2021, initially on loan, and then made his move back to Atletico Madrid permanently a year later. Lionel Messi also left the Catalan side in 2021 for Paris Saint-Germain and then moved to Inter Miami in 2023.