Griezmann has made 494 appearances and scored 212 goals for Atletico Madrid. With another defining European night on the horizon, as Atletico Madrid prepare to face Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, the spotlight has shifted to Antoine Griezmann, the forward bringing his Atletico career to a close at the end of the season.

It was in that context that Diego Simeone, sitting alongside Griezmann in a packed media room before Atletico Madrid's quarter-final against Barcelona, did something rarely seen in football. Before a single question was asked, the Atletico coach chose to open the news conference with an emotional tribute to the forward, who is set to play his final matches for the Spanish club before joining Orlando City at the end of the season.

"I want to thank you for your hard work and your humility," the Argentine said, catching Griezmann visibly off guard. "You are an admirable person in a society where young people need role models like you. Thank you for everything you have given us, everything you continue to give, and everything you still will."

If it had been solely up to the Major League Soccer side, Griezmann would already be in the United States. Instead, the France international asked to remain in Madrid until the end of the season, allowing him the chance to say a proper farewell to the club where he has made 494 appearances and scored 212 goals.

The 2018 French World Cup-winner has spent his entire club career in Spain, beginning at Real Sociedad in 2009 before moving to Simeone's Atletico Madrid in 2014. A switch to Barcelona followed in 2019, before he returned to Atletico on loan in 2021 and made the move permanent a year later.

Yet his career might have taken a very different path. While still at Real Sociedad in 2013, Griezmann revealed in his autobiography that he came close to joining Arsenal and playing under Arsene Wenger. "I waited, I waited, and I kept waiting," he wrote. "Finally, a few hours before the window closed, they told us Arsenal would not make a move. I don't like being told something and for it not to happen. So when Eric [Griezmann's former agent] told me later that the London club were interested again, I told him: 'Forget it, after the blow they gave us.'"

A year later, Griezmann joined Simeone's Atletico for a fee believed to be worth 30m euros, a move that would define his career. The 35-year-old is now the club's all-time leading scorer, though his legacy in Madrid extends far beyond the silverware.

He has not only become a club icon, but also one of the most recognisable players in Spanish football. Antoine Griezmann's significance at Atletico Madrid goes far beyond his numbers. He is regarded as their greatest player, not just a goalscorer, but more importantly as the most complete expression of what the club stands for.

Simeone spoke about him with genuine emotion, even saying he loves him. Thierry Henry thanked him publicly a couple of weeks ago for everything he has given to football. He is not just a likable character with a very positive leadership style, but someone that makes everyone around them better.

For a whole generation of fans, Griezmann is Atletico. Apart from his two-year spell at Barcelona, he has been the constant reference point, the face of the team. His return, after a difficult and unpopular departure, could have been complicated, but the way he came back, apologised, and reconnected with the fans only strengthened that bond.

Griezmann embodies the perfect Simeone player - total commitment, relentless work-rate, and the willingness to put his talent at the service of the team. He sacrifices, he leads by example, as well as fully embracing the manager's authority - you don't always see that from a World Cup-winner in a team that rarely secures the biggest trophies.

Interestingly, his time hasn't been defined by a long list of silverware - he has won the Spanish Super Cup, the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup with Atletico. Instead, his legacy is built on something else that will remain for a long time. He represents the ideal Atletico footballer, someone who combines quality with effort.

But also someone who could have gone to other pastures as well as Barcelona, although when he did, he felt he had left home. Despite losing the Copa del Rey final on penalties to Real Sociedad earlier this month, his final weeks in an Atletico shirt could still deliver a fitting conclusion and the number seven is taking the time to enjoy his last matches in red and white.

After the final whistle blew, confirming Atletico's place in the Champions League semi-finals having beaten Barcelona, the Atletico Madrid players began to make their way down the tunnel, but Griezmann was not done just yet. He ran back out of the tunnel and re-emerged to a roar from the Metropolitano. Running towards the penalty box, he turned to face the stands and applauded the supporters, his name ringing out from all sides. Moments later, his team-mates returned to join him.

Griezmann, at the heart of it, danced and celebrated in front of the fans, an emotional expression of thanks to those who have stood by him throughout his time at the club.

Neither Griezmann nor Atletico Madrid have lifted the Champions League, having lost the final in 1974, 2014 and 2016. "It would heal a very deep wound. The only way to beat it would be to win it this year," he told Spanish media. Arsenal are still waiting to win it too.

So is the semi-final to be the last chapter in Griezmann's Champions League story or will it run to the final in Budapest?

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