The best moments of Antoine Griezmann's career

As the fifth most expensive footballer in history, it should come as no surprise to hear that Antoine Griezmann has enjoyed an outstanding career for both club and country.

From cutting his teeth with Real Sociedad to strutting his stuff with Barcelona, Griezmann has had plenty of highs to enjoy throughout his career, and he still has plenty of time to add one or two before before he eventually hangs up his boots.

Let's take a look at some of his highlights so far.

1. Making his senior debut ahead of schedule (02/09/09)

Long seen as a future star in the Sociedad setup, the faith in Griezmann was clear when he was promoted straight from the academy to the senior side for the 2008/09 pre-season, without spending a second with the reserve side.

Griezmann bagged five goals in four appearances that summer and remained part of the first team for the start of the season, with his first appearance coming in a Copa del Rey tie against Rayo Vallecano.

The Frenchman's minutes in La Liga gradually started rising over the next few weeks, and he was afforded his first start on 27 September in a 2-0 win over Huesca. Unsurprisingly, he scored the game's opening goal.

2. Stunning volley vs Valladolid (16/03/13)

One of the best goals in Griezmann's career came in March 2013, when his Sociedad side thumped Real Valladolid to the tune of a 4-1 victory.

Griezmann opened the scoring, but the real highlight of the game was his third goal, which all started with a 40-yard pass from midfielder David Zurutuza towards Griezmann.

The Frenchman had to stretch to bring the ball under control, and before the ball had bounced, he unleased a ferocious volley that flew into the back of the net in the blink of an eye.

3. Firing Sociedad into Europe (01/06/13)

2012/13 was the season in which Griezmann started to make some real noise.

The winger bagged ten La Liga goals, the most important of which came on the final day of the season in a 1-0 win over Deportivo, which fired Sociedad into the Champions League for the first time in nine years.

Truth be told, it was a pretty ugly goal, but you can guarantee Griezmann did not care one bit.

4. The entire 2014/15 season

Griezmann's career reached the next level in 2014/15 when he moved to Atletico Madrid for a fee in excess of £20m.

He needed ten league games to finally open his account for Los Rojiblancos, but the goals didn't stop after that. He ended the year with 22, setting a record for most La Liga goals by a Frenchman in a single season which has since only been bested by Karim Benzema's 24 in 2015/16.

As a reward for his outstanding performances, Griezmann was the only Atletico player included in the La Liga Team of the Season, featuring in a forward line which also included Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

5. Knocking Barcelona out of Europe (13/04/16)

Griezmann continued making a splash against Spain's big boys in the 2015/16 season. In February, he bagged a winner over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and he followed that up by knocking Barcelona out of the Champions League two months later.

Barca had won 2-1 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie, but Griezmann stole the show in the return fixture as he netted two unanswered goals to steer Atleti through to the next round.

He opened the scoring with a cool header, before showing his composure to net an 88th-minute penalty to give Atleti an insurmountable lead.

6. Winning the Euro 2016 Golden Boot (10/07/16)

Now an established star, Griezmann's first taste of international success came at Euro 2016, at which he won the Golden Boot for bagging six goals as hosts France fell to Portugal in the final.

Griezmann formed a devastating partnership with the towering Olivier Giroud and bagged some crucial goals for Les Bleus, including a late opener against Albania and both goals in the semi-final triumph over Germany.

His finest strike came in the quarter-final victory over Iceland. He had already assisted two goals before adding his own with a perfect chip to fire France to a 5-2 victory.

7. His screamer vs Deportivo (02/03/17)

If you're looking for worldies, look no further.

One of Griezmann's finest strikes in an Atleti shirt came against Deportivo in March 2017 as he salvaged a 1-1 draw with a ludicrous strike from range.

After a couple of neat one-twos, Griezmann unleashed a ferocious strike from all of 30 yards which looped over the goalkeeper and flew into the back of the net. Not too shabby.

8. Europa League glory (16/05/18)

Griezmann's first major silverware at club level came in the shape of the Europa League in 2017/18.

En route to glory, Griezmann contributed to at least one goal in seven of his eight appearances in the competition, including both goals in his side's semi-final victory over Arsenal.

He returned to his native France for the final, where he bagged two goals in a 3-0 demolition of Marseille which led Atleti to their third trophy in nine years.

9. Shining at the World Cup (15/07/18)

If anyone had any doubt of Griezmann's quality in 2018, they were left eating their words after he dominated the World Cup that summer.

Griezmann walked away with four goals and three assists, earning himself the Bronze Ball at the tournament behind Luka Modric and Eden Hazard.

As a fun part of history, Griezmann was also involved in the first VAR-awarded penalty in World Cup history, being fouled and then stepping up to convert in a 2-1 win over Australia.

10. Perfect Camp Nou debut (25/08/19)

After sealing a long-awaited £108m move to Barcelona in the summer of 2019, Griezmann got his Camp Nou career off to the perfect start with an excellent showing in his home debut.

Starting as a central striker in an injury-hit attack which also featured Rafinha and Carles Perez, Griezmann racked up two goals and an assist in a 5-2 win over Real Betis to temporarily silence any of his critics.

It was an electric start, but things have gone a little awry for Griezmann since then. Just a bit.

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