“Indispensable” world champion
Griezmann’s massive streak ends against Germany
March 19, 2024, 6:44 a.m
When the DFB team starts the European Championship year against France, a great series will come to an end for their opponents: Antoine Griezmann will not be on the field for the 2018 world champions for the first time in eight years.
Without record player Antoine Griezmann, vice world champion France will play in the international match against the German national soccer team in Lyon on Saturday (9 p.m./ZDF and in the live ticker on ntv.de). After a record series of 84 appearances in consecutive international matches since November 2016, the 32-year-old striker from Atletico Madrid missed the meeting between the two neighbors due to a sprained right ankle. According to the French association, “Grizou” will also be canceled for France’s duel with Chile three days later (March 26).
France’s national coach Didier Deschamps nominated Matteo Guendouzi for the 2018 world champion and 127-time national player. The Lazio Rome attacker is back in the Grande Nation’s squad for the first time since the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. Given his special skills and characteristics, Griezmann is “not irreplaceable, but indispensable,” Deschamps said on Monday: “A replacement who is consistent with the position is very, very, very difficult to find. We will handle things differently.”
With his series, Griezmann holds the association’s internal record undisputed: World champion Patrick Viera, second in the ranking, played “only” 44 international matches in a row at the time. The “Kaiser” personally holds the record for the German team: Franz Beckenbauer played 60 games in a row for the DFB team between September 9, 1970 and February 23, 1977. Berti Vogts succeeds Beckenbauer, who died in January, with 48 appearances in a row.
From the current squad, which national coach Julian Nagelsmann wants to test for suitability for the European Championship in the games against France and next Tuesday against the Netherlands (8.45 p.m. / RTL and in the live ticker on ntv.de), no player has a notable series.