Griezmann reveals Champions League ambition as Atletico Madrid ‘last dance’ begins ahead of Orlando City switch
Antoine Griezmann will finally be leaving Atletico Madrid after 10 seasons with the club, but not before giving everything he has to send them out on the highest note possible. Set to join Orlando City at the start of next season, Griezmann has made clear his ambition to push for the UEFA Champions League with the Colchoneros before he goes.
After traveling to Florida to finalize the details, Orlando City officially announced the signing of Antoine Griezmann on Tuesday. With the 2025-26 season still ongoing, the MLS club confirmed that the move will be completed in July 2026 on a deal running through the 2027-28 season with an option for one additional year, bringing his European career to a close.
With the deal made official, Griezmann took to social media to post a heartfelt message to Atletico fans. “It isn’t easy to find the words for what I’m feeling, because this club is my home and you are my family. It has been an incredible journey, filled with unforgettable matches, goals, joy, and a passion that only those of us who feel ‘Atleti’ can truly understand,” he wrote on Instagram.
Rather than simply saying goodbye, the French striker turned his focus to the months ahead and the chance to leave on the highest possible note, with the Champions League firmly in his sights: “But for now, let’s leave the future in the future—because I am not leaving yet. I still have months left in this shirt; months to give my life for this club at 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.“
Despite Orlando City‘s push to secure his signing in the primary 2026 MLS window, Atletico’s run to the Copa del Rey final made both the club and Griezmann reluctant to finalize the move mid-season. Now into the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League, roughly five games away from a potential title, Griezmann has added European glory to what he described as his “Last Dance” with the club in his post.
“We still have many opportunities ahead of us to find happiness. I want every minute I have left here to be a tribute to this crest. The best is yet to come. We will do it as we always have: together. My present remains Red and White until the very last breath of this 2026 season. And my heart will be forever. Aúpa Atleti,” Griezmann’s message concluded.
Can Atletico go all the way in the Champions League?
Rather than framing it as a lifelong dream of finally winning the Champions League, a trophy that has eluded him throughout his career, Griezmann took a measured approach, expressing the desire to go “as far as possible” in the competition. With Atletico still in the thick of the Copa del Rey race as well, advancing deep into the European stage will be far from a walk in the park.
After eliminating Tottenham Hotspur in a tie that finished 7-5 on aggregate, Atletico will face Barcelona in the quarterfinals. The first leg is scheduled at Camp Nou on April 8, with the return leg set for April 14 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
Should Atletico manage to get past one of the tournament’s top contenders like Barcelona, they would face the winner of Arsenal vs. Sporting CP in the semifinals. The Gunners, currently leading the Premier League, enter that tie as heavy favorites, and have been the stingiest defense in the competition this season, conceding just five goals across 10 Champions League matches.
As for the final, any club emerging from the other side of the bracket would pose a serious threat to Atletico, with PSG, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all still in contention. For Griezmann personally, the stakes could not be higher: he was on the pitch for Atletico’s last Champions League final appearance in 2016, a match Real Madrid claimed in a penalty shootout after Griezmann had missed a penalty during regular time, and now, a decade later, the stage is set for one of soccer’s great stories to find its ending.