Antoine Griezmann will leave Atletico Madrid at the end of the season to join Orlando City. It was an open secret and the Spanish club made it official on Tuesday. Last Sunday, MARCA reported that the French striker would take advantage of this international break to finalize his agreement with the MLS side. After a decade as a Rojiblanco, divided into two five-year spells, the Frenchman will bring his time as a Colchonero to an end at the end of this season.
“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, joys and a passion that only those of us who feel for Atleti can understand,” the Frenchman wrote in a letter to the fans.
Let’s leave the future in the future for now: because I’m not leaving yet
Griezmann travelled to the United States after the derby at the Bernabeu, with the club’s permission, to finalise his move to MLS side Orlando City once the current season is over. Those talks have come to fruition and have been made official by both Atletico and the American club. In a statement, Orlando announced that Antoine “will join the club in July 2026 on a contract through the 2027-28 season, with an option for the 2028-29 season as a Designated Player“.
Now, the Frenchman will return to training with Atletico to face the decisive stretch of the season and try to culminate his career as a Rojiblanco. The Copa del Rey and the Champions League are the two main objectives that the club’s all-time leading scorer has in mind. The announcement of his move to Orlando fulfills the agreement he reached with Atletico when he extended his contract for two more seasons last June. This agreement would facilitate the Frenchman’s departure after deferring his salary in the two seasons he signed.
Official statement by Atletico de Madrid
Atletico Madrid and Orlando City SC have reached an agreement for Antoine Griezmann to join the MLS club from next season. The striker has travelled to Orlando, with the club’s permission, during the two days off granted to the first team, to formalise his contract with the Florida team.In this way, the club’s all-time leading scorer will embark on a new professional challenge 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 seven has become Atletico Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 211 goals, ahead of Luis Aragones, who scored 173 goals for the club. In addition, his 488 games for the club make him the fourth most capped player in the club’s history.Throughout these 10 seasons, Griezmann has left unforgettable moments for the memory of all Atletico fans, winning three titles with the club: the Spanish Super Cup in 2014 and the Europa League and European Super Cup, both in 2018.
The striker will return to training this week alongside those who have not travelled with their national teams to face the final stretch of the season, in which we have an exciting Copa del Rey final, as well as the quarter-final tie of the Champions League, in which we will be looking to reach the semi-finals
Griezmann’s letter to the Atletico 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, joys and a passion that only those of us who feel Atletico can understand.But let’s leave the future in the future for now, because I’m not leaving yet. I still have months left in this shirt, months to give my all in our stadium and away from home, to lift that Copa del Rey and to dream of going as far as possible in the Champions League.We still have many opportunities to be happy. I want every minute I have left here to be a tribute to this badge. The best is yet to come. We will do it as always: together.My present is still red and white until the last breath of this 2026 season. And my heart will be forever. Aupa Atleti.
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