St Petersburg: A self-confessed lover of all things Uruguayan, from grilled meat to bitter-tasting infusion ‘mate’, France’s Antoine Griezmann knows he will not get any favourable treatment when confronted by close friend Diego Godin in the World Cup quarterfinal, Friday.
Teammates at Atletico Madrid, Griezmann and Godin have formed such a bond over the past four years that the rugged defender is the godfather of Griezmann’s daughter Mia.
“Diego is a great friend. I am with him every day in Madrid,” Griezmann told reporters ahead of the clash in Nizhny Novgorod. “It is a nationality that I love, a people that I love. It will be a very emotional match for me.”
Griezmann’s love affair with Uruguay began when handed his breakthrough at Real Sociedad by Martin Lasarte in 2009. Having spent his entire career in Spain, Griezmann has always had a steady stream of Uruguayan teammates. He began drinking mate at Sociedad with former Uruguay striker Carlos Bueno and was persuaded to join Atletico in 2014 by Godin.
He says he (Griezmann) is Uruguayan. He likes how we are and our customs: eating the barbecue, our music, he even drinks more mate than me. But for the game tomorrow he will be a Frenchman
Diego Godin
“He says he is Uruguayan,” said Godin. “He made his debut with Martin Lasarte and had a lot of time for him. He has always been surrounded by Uruguayan players. He likes how we are and our customs: eating the barbecue, our music, he even drinks more mate than me!”
At Atletico, Griezmann is the star and top scorer. Godin, though, is the embodiment of the dogged, determined and defensively brilliant side Diego Simeone has created in the Spanish capital.
“They will waste time, they will fall down, surround the referee. It’s their game, it’s the same at Atletico,” said Griezmann. “The match will be boring, they will want us to fall into their trap. They give everything for their teammates, it’s beautiful,” he added.
Griezmann, though, knows Godin and another Atletico teammate, Jose Maria Gimenez, will not give Kylian Mbappe the same space to exploit his pace that a disorganised Argentina did.
“Do not expect him (Mbappe) to do too much of the same in the quarters,” warned Griezmann. “The Uruguayans will have watched the match, they will change the way to defend him. It’s up to us to put him in good positions.”