Antoine Griezmann flew to Orlando on Sunday night, hours after Atlético Madrid's 3-2 derby loss to Real Madrid, and that flight tells you everything about where his head is at. Two years, plus an option. MLS debut pencilled in for July. The move is done.
ESPN broke the story, with The New York Times adding that the contract runs through the 2027-28 season — the first full campaign under MLS's new European-aligned calendar — with an option for 2028-29. This isn't a farewell lap. Griezmann is planting roots.
Unfinished business in Madrid first
He won't be in Florida just yet. Atlético still have a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Barcelona and a Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad to play, and Griezmann intends to see both through. His contract with the club runs until 2027, but Diego Simeone has made clear he'll support whatever Griezmann decides. The parting, whenever it comes, looks amicable.
What it doesn't look like is triumphant. Griezmann is Atlético's all-time leading scorer with 210 goals — a number that puts him in genuinely elite company in La Liga history — yet he leaves without a single major trophy under Simeone. That's not a footnote. For a player of his calibre, at a club that twice reached Champions League finals during his time there, it's the defining tension of his career at the Metropolitano.
What Orlando are actually getting
Griezmann retired from international football in 2024, having won the 2018 World Cup with France. At 33, he's not the explosive wide forward who tore apart La Liga a decade ago, but he's still a technically precise, tactically intelligent player who reads the game as well as anyone in his generation.
MLS has seen this kind of signing before — a European name arrives, the crowd goes wild, the results vary. But Griezmann's affinity for American culture is genuine. He's a regular at NBA games, has spoken openly about his connection to the US, and actively sought this move out before the end of the La Liga season, then chose to delay it to honour his commitments in Madrid. That's not the behaviour of someone cashing out.
- Contract length: Two years plus a one-year option
- Expected debut: July 2025 (MLS summer window opens July 13)
- Atlético Madrid goals: 210 — club all-time record
- International retirement: 2024, after winning the 2018 World Cup
Orlando's attacking odds for the 2025 MLS season just got considerably more interesting. Whether Griezmann can lift a squad that's been promising but inconsistent into genuine contention is the real question — and it won't be answered until he's actually on the pitch.
