Sportskeeda Football Awards 2016: Forward of the Year

#6 Antoine Griezmann (Reader’s Rank: 7, Sportskeeda’s Rank: 4)

A year of heartbreaks for Griezmann

For Antoine Griezmann this has been a cruel year but one that will surely increase his hunger for greatness for the rest of his footballing years. The Atletico Madrid superstar slumped at the final hurdle with his club side in the UEFA Champions League – as they once again lost to Real Madrid in the final of the tournament. A fate La Rojiblancos suffered against Los Blancos in the final of the same tournament in 2014/15.

After the heartbreak in Milan, it was the anguish at Stade de France as Griezmann witnessed Cristiano Ronaldo and company lift the Euro 2016 in front of a stadium packed with fans from the host nation – France. Griezmann was, without a doubt, the most outstanding player of the tournament and had almost single-handedly – at times – guided his team to the final of the tournament. He was awarded the Player of the Tournament and the Golden Boot for his exploits with his national team, which included six goals, while also featuring in the team of the tournament.

France legend and 1998 World Cup winner Bixente Lizarazu has even compared Griezmann to the legendary Zinedine Zidane.

"If I had to find a common point between Zinedine Zidane and Antoine Griezmann it would be their culture and their feel for the pass. These are two great creators of movement. They first think of others before thinking of themselves and that has a direct impact on the team. It sounds simple written that way, but it's much more complicated in practice.” ~ Bixente Lizarazu

2016 Stats (for club and country – Games: 68, Goals: 36, Assists: 15)