Antoine Griezmann's Goal Drought with France
Two missed opportunities in the 0-0 draw against the Netherlands have so far defined Antoine Griezmann's Euro 2024 campaign. The French forward has scored in only two of his last thirty matches for the national team. As the decisive moments approach in Germany, starting with Tuesday's game against Poland, France hopes, trusts, and needs the best version of their all-around player, who has been crucial in each of their recent major tournaments.
"He is a key player for us. We know that. He is an exceptional footballer. He has shown it all season and demonstrates it daily," commented Aurelien Tchouameni on Sunday, two days after Griezmann's missed chances highlighted his recent drop in effectiveness, evident at Atlético Madrid and confirmed in Germany 2024, partly due to his position being less goal-oriented.
In 2024, by June, Griezmann has scored eight goals in 28 matches for both Diego Simeone's Atlético and Didier Deschamps' France, averaging 0.28 goals per game. In 2023, he netted 27 times in 58 games, a 0.46 average. Notably, those eight goals this year have come in just five matches, failing to score in 23 of them—a problem for both him and his teams.
It's now six consecutive games without scoring, spanning club and national team matches, since his hat-trick that secured Atlético's Champions League spot against Getafe on May 15. These are his only goals in his last eleven games.
Overall, Griezmann has netted six times in his last 24 matches, alongside four assists. Despite this productivity, it's still below the performance expected of a player of his caliber.
Once a prolific scorer, his goal drought with France is even more pronounced: eight games without a goal.