Without a goal or assist, the Atlético Madrid striker did not shine his statistics on Tuesday against Australia (4-1) but he shone between the defensive midfielders and the attacking trio, in a place rarely occupied until there.

"I especially found that he enjoyed playing, playing the team, in a somewhat unusual position, but he likes to touch the ball, and above all he makes the effort with the ball, without the ball", complimented his captain Hugo Lloris.

As often, "Grizou" did not look at the expense.

He is the Frenchman who ran the most, behind Adrien Rabiot, and he multiplied the folds with his "grinta" and his usual tackles, coloring his white shorts with a green tint as proof of his excess of energy.

"Antoine is a midfielder at heart, with a sense of sacrifice and a high volume of play. I think it's a position he can take on completely", remarked Olivier Giroud, double scorer against " Socceroos".

The bleached-haired N.7 had a sharp defensive blade, without sacrificing its primary mission as a launch pad towards Giroud, Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé.

Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann during the Qatar 2022 World Cup match between France and Australia at Al-Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah, Doha on November 22, 2022 FRANCK FIFE AFP/Archives

With the Parisian, in particular, the 31-year-old has found passing circuits frequently, which has been far from the case in recent months.

68th consecutive game

In his usual positioning, higher on the ground, Griezmann had seen his influence decrease lately, in particular because his style of play and his activity sometimes stuck too much to those of Karim Benzema, the titular center-forward, package for this Cup of world.

"He's a player who can find himself in the middle, he likes it, it's not a sacrifice for him", pointed out Didier Deschamps after Australia.

"Antoine's volume gives balance to the three attacking players".

The coach loves this player, essential in his spirit and his team compositions.

The statistics are stunning: Griezmann played his 68th game in a row for the France team on Tuesday, without having missed a single one since the summer of 2017, a national record which he intends to extend on Saturday (5:00 p.m.) against Denmark.

Against the Scandinavians, in September in Copenhagen (2-0 defeat), Deschamps even gave him the armband for the first time, in the absence of Lloris and vice-captain Raphaël Varane.

French striker Antoine Griezmann during the Nations League match between Denmark and France in Copenhagen, September 25, 2022 FRANCK FIFE AFP / Archives

"Me, I'm not too much of a leader who talks a lot in the locker room, I'm more of a leader on the pitch. I'm not going to confuse the two, I'm going to stick to what I know how to do best," summed up the 2018 world champion, present on Sunday alongside his coach on Téléfoot.

"The Legs and the Head"

Deschamps knows the value of Griezmann and that's why he never let go of him even at the height of his club torment.

The former Real Sociedad player took a tricky turn when he joined FC Barcelona in the summer of 2019, a year after winning the World Cup and after announcing he was staying at Atlético in a documentary called 'La Decision".

The resounding transfer (120 M EUR) turned out to be disappointing, "Grizou" returned on loan to the "Colchoneros" in 2021, but part of the public took a dislike to him.

Antoine Griezmann (C) French striker of Real Sociedad, on September 1, 2013 during a match between Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid at the Anoeta stadium in San Sebastián RAFA RIVAS AFP/Archives

At the start of the season, his playing time was limited to half an hour per match due to a standoff between the two clubs.

Everything was settled in October with a permanent transfer to Madrid signed until 2026, remarkable performances and a total reconciliation with the supporters.

"I have the legs, I have the head, everything is fine," he told Téléfoot.

With the Blues, he only needs to find the nets, which he has not managed to do since November 13, 2021 against Kazakhstan (8-0).

End of the scarcity, ten matches long (670 minutes in total), on Saturday against Denmark?

© 2022 AFP