Antoine Griezmann will leave Atletico Madrid at the end of the season and join Orlando City. It was an open secret, but the Spanish club made it official on Tuesday. Last Sunday, MARCA reported that the French striker will use this international break to finalize his contract with the MLS side. After spending ten years as a Rojiblanco split into two five-year periods, the Frenchman will end his time as a colchonero at the end of this season.
“It’s not easy to put this feeling into words, because this club is my home and you are my family. It has been a wonderful journey full of unforgettable matches, goals, joy and a passion that only those of us who care for Atleti can understand,” the Frenchman wrote to his fans.
Real Madrid pay homage to the goddess Cibeles before the match against Atlético Madrid
For now, let’s leave the future in the future, because I’m not leaving yet.
After the derby at the Bernabéu, Griezmann traveled to the United States with the club’s permission and finalized his move to MLS side Orlando City at the end of this season. These negotiations have borne fruit and have been officially announced by both Atlético and the American club. Orlando announced in a statement that Antoine will “join the club in July 2026 as a designated player under a contract until the 2027-28 season, with an option for the 2028-29 season.”
The Frenchman has now returned to training with Atlético and will face a crucial period of the season as he aims to culminate his Rojiblanco career. The Copa del Rey and the Champions League are the two main goals the club’s all-time top scorer has in mind. The announcement of his move to Orlando fulfills the agreement he made with Atlético last June when he extended his contract for another two seasons. The agreement will make it easier for the Frenchman to leave after having his salary deferred over the two seasons he signed.
Atlético de Madrid official statement
Atletico Madrid and Orlando City SC have reached an agreement for Antoine Griezmann to join the MLS club next season. The striker traveled to Orlando with the club’s permission during the first team’s two-day break to formalize his contract with the Florida team. The club’s all-time leading scorer will thus embark on a new challenge as a professional in MLS next summer after wearing the red and white colors for 10 seasons. Griezmann joined the club from Real Sociedad in July 2014. Since then, our number 7 has become Atlético Madrid’s number. He became the club’s all-time leading scorer with 211 goals, surpassing Luis Aragonés who scored 173 goals. Furthermore, his 488 appearances for the club made him the fourth most capped player in the club’s history. Throughout these ten seasons, Griezmann left unforgettable moments in the memory of all Atlético fans, winning three titles with the club: the Spanish Super Cup in 2014, the Europa League and the European Super Cup in 2018.
The striker will return to training this week alongside other players who are not part of the national team, ahead of the final game of the season with an exciting Copa del Rey final and Champions League quarter-finals in which he will aim to reach the semi-finals.
Letter from Griezmann to Atlético fans
“It’s not easy to put into words how I feel, because this club is my home and you are my family. It has been an incredible journey, full of unforgettable matches, goals, joy and a passion that only those who feel Atlético can understand. But… For now, let’s leave the future for the future, because I don’t want to leave yet. I still have a few months left in this shirt to give it my all, away from the stadium and home, to win the Copa del Rey and to go as far as I can in the Champions League. We still have many opportunities to be happy. I hope that every moment I leave here will be a tribute to this badge. We will get through this together, as always. And my heart is eternal.
