France striker Antoine Griezmann has revealed he plans to join a Major League Soccer (MLS) club after his Barcelona contract expires in 2024.
Griezmann, who has spent his entire senior career in Spain having come through the Real Sociedad academy before joining Atletico Madrid and then Barcelona, is known to be a keen basketball and NBA fan, often travelling to games when he has time off.
The 30-year-old forward has struggled to so far justify the €120 million Barca paid Atletico ($142m) in 2019, but said he would like to stay at the club until his contract ends.
After that, though, Griezmann is determined to make the move to the United States.
"My contract with Barcelona runs until June 2024 and after that I think it will be the right time to go to the United States," Griezmann, who is set to make his 50th consecutive start for France in Saturday's Euro 2020 game against Hungary, told French newspaper Le Figaro.
"I love that country, that culture, the NBA, and have a desire to discover it more, although I will also have to think about my family."
Griezmann has never been shy of the limelight and made a 2018 documentary called The Decision about his dilemma on whether to stay at Atletico or join Barcelona, inspired by a programme of the same name on NBA star LeBron James' move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to Miami Heat in 2010.
But he said he is tired of constant media attention and believes his and family's privacy would be respected more in the United States.
"This is also why I love the United States and why I want to go there, because you go unnoticed, which is not the case in France or Spain," he said.
The MLS has been a popular destination for many of Europe's top players, with the likes of David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Villa, and Thierry Henry enjoying spells Stateside.
Griezmann's Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi has also expressed a desire to live in the United States and play in the MLS one day.
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Company%20Profile
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The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ
Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700
Engine 3.0L V6
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 340hp @ 6,000pm
Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
