The match against Girona might seem like an anonymous one for Atlético Madrid. Qualification for the Champions League is already secured, there is the possibility of catching Villarreal in third place should the Submarino amarillo lose at Vallecas against Rayo, but, in short, the Colchoneros’ season effectively ended after their elimination in the Champions League semifinal against Arsenal. On the night in London, one of the most distraught was Antoine Griezmann, who allowed himself a long farewell beneath the section of the 3000 Atléti fans. The Frenchman knew, in fact, that it was his final European match in the red and white shirt, just as the one against Girona will be his last in his stadium, the Métropolitano, before flying to the United States, to Orlando, this summer.
The club has therefore decided to honour him with a special day, entirely dedicated to him. At the end of the match, it will be Griezmann himself who says goodbye to the fans after becoming the fourth player with the most appearances in the club’s history (reaching 500) and Atlético’s all-time top scorer with 212 goals, as well as having won three titles: a Europa League in 2017/18, a European Super Cup the following year, won by defeating Real Madrid 4-2 after extra time in the derby in Tallinn, and a Spanish Super Cup in 2014/15.
The marketing and events department of the Colchonero club has been truly creative. As part of the tribute, an exhibition, a barber station and an interactive 3-a-side pitch will be set up in the Fan Zone, while special patches and items entirely dedicated to Griezmann will be sold in the official shops – as well as in the online stores. The stickers and gadgets are part of an exclusive collection dedicated to the Little Devil, designed to celebrate his magic, his talent and his charisma. Celebratory T-shirts and sweatshirts, junior versions of the official kits and sweatshirts, the scarf with Griezmann’s signature and much more. For his part, the player will wear special boots, with the words “Coraggio e Cuore”, perhaps Atlético’s most iconic motto, made by the brand that dresses him – the French multinational Decathlon.
In short, tissues will need to be ready at the Métropolitano: 70,000 Atlético fans will honour one of the footballers who has contributed most to making the club great, to putting it on the map of European football. But above all, someone who exudes the most authentic values of the Colchonero club: heart, passion, the desire not to surrender to a story that always says one little piece is missing to celebrate the greatest achievements. And yet, if the red-and-whites have gone in 15 years from being simply Madrid’s second team, the slightly unlucky one people support either out of family tradition or rebellion against Real’s glamour, to becoming one of Europe’s top clubs, part of the credit also goes to the Frenchman. Legends are not said goodbye to; they are carried inside forever.