After months of rumors and speculation, star forward Antoine Griezmann was finally introduced as an FC Barcelona player at the Camp Nou on Sunday afternoon.
Barcelona reportedly paid Griezmann’s $135 million release clause at the La Liga office earlier last week in order to acquire the services of the French forward from Atlético Madrid.
His new deal with Barcelona is for five years and reportedly includes an astronomically high release clause of $900 million, the highest in the history of the sport.
Griezmann is expected to immediately slot into Barcelona’s starting lineup to form a formidable attacking trio along with Leo Messi and Luis Suárez. He won the World Cup with France in 2018 and is established as one of soccer’s biggest stars.
The 28-year-old has scored 134 goals and notched 50 assists in 321 career La Liga games with Atlético and Real Sociedad. He also has ample experience in the Champions League, where he’s recorded 21 career goals and 7 assists in 54 appearances.
Barcelona is looking to rebound from their disappointing shock exit at the hands of Liverpool in the semifinals of last season’s Champions League, and they hope that the flamboyant Frenchman will help lead them to their first CL title since 2015.
