Antoine Griezmann wishes he could perform as well in real life as he does on PlayStation. Based on his performances with Atletico Madrid, he must be really good at the video game.
Griezmann and his teammate, forward Julián Álvarez, have found their form again, helping Atletico to a 10-game winning streak. This run has put the club back on track in both the Champions League and the Spanish league, where they will play Getafe on Sunday with a chance to move to the top of the standings.
Atletico is three points behind league leader Barcelona and one point behind second-placed Real Madrid. Both Atletico and Madrid have a game in hand compared to Barcelona. Barcelona will host Leganes on Sunday, while Madrid will visit Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
Griezmann scored two goals in Atletico’s 3-1 win over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Wednesday, bringing his total to six goals in his last five matches. Álvarez scored his fifth goal in five games.
Griezmann is a long-time fan of video games and was known for celebrating goals with Fortnite moves a few years ago when the game was popular. On Wednesday, after one of his goals at Metropolitano Stadium, he celebrated with Pablo Barrios and Giuliano Simeone, two of his PlayStation partners, by mimicking the moves they do in the video game.
“We play FIFA a lot and that’s the celebration we usually do when we play together,” Griezmann said. He quickly added, “We are better on the Play than we are on the field.”
Griezmann, who was named man of the match against Slovan, scored his goals in the 42nd and 57th minutes. Álvarez had put Atletico ahead with a nice curling shot in the 16th minute. Slovan scored once in the second half.
Atletico’s strong attack has been key to their success since their loss to Real Betis in October. Since then, they’ve outscored their opponents 30-7 across all competitions. They’ve scored three or more goals in each of their last five games, something they haven’t done since 1950, according to UEFA.
“We’ve been playing really well and the team as a whole is performing excellently,” Álvarez said. “Everyone, even those coming off the bench, has been contributing to the team. We are on the right path and we have to keep working this way. All the competitions are very challenging but we’ve been doing really well.”
The win against Slovan moved Atletico to 11th place in the Champions League standings, putting them in a good position to try to reach the top eight spots in the group stage.
“We needed the points. They were very important for us to carry on with this dynamic,” coach Simeone said. “The team is responding to the situations we find ourselves in these games. This reflects well on the team.”
