Griezmann will leave Atlético at the end of the season to play for Orlando City

French striker Antoine Griezmann will end his second stage at Atlético de Madrid when the current 2025-2026 season ends to continue his career at Orlando City of the American Major League Soccer, as confirmed this Tuesday by the red and white team.

“Atlético de Madrid and Orlando City SC have reached an agreement for the incorporation of Antoine Griezmann to the American club starting next season. The forward has traveled to Orlando, with the club’s permission, during the two days of rest granted to the first team, to formalize his contract with the Florida team,” the Madrid team said on its website.

For its part, his new team welcomed “the icon of world football and 2018 World Cup champion.” “He will join the club in July 2026 with a contract until the 2027-2028 season, with the option to extend it to the 2028-29 season as a Franchise Player,” said Orlando City SC, which posted photos of the player’s contract signing on its social networks.

Griezmann landed at Atlético de Madrid in the summer of 2014 from Real Sociedad and spent a first stage as a colchonero until 2019, when he signed for FC Barcelona, ​​to return in 2021, first on loan and later with a contract until June 30, 2026, under the orders of Diego Pablo Simeone, a coach who has always cared for and encouraged him.

Now, the man from Macon, who turned 35 last Saturday, will be able to fully focus on the red and white team’s end of the season on winning the Copa del Rey Mapfre title, with the final on April 18 precisely against his first team in Spain, Real Sociedad, and on advancing as much as possible in the Champions League, with a quarterfinal match against his other former club, FC Barcelona.

So far, the Frenchman has already entered the history of Atlético de Madrid as he is their all-time top scorer, with 211 goals, 38 more than Luis Aragonés, whom he surpassed in January 2024, while he has so far totaled 488 games with the mattress shirt, being the fourth player with the most in a club with which he has won the Spanish Super Cup in 2014 and the Europa League and the European Super Cup in 2018.

“The striker will return to training this week alongside the red and whites who have not traveled with their national teams to face the final stretch of the season, in which we have ahead of us an exciting Copa del Rey final, as well as the quarter-final tie of the Champions League, in which we will seek a place in the semi-finals,” Atlético remarked.

GRIEZMANN: “I HAVE MONTHS LEFT WITH THIS SHIRT”

“It is not easy to put words to what I feel because this club is my home and you are my family. It has been an incredible journey, full of unforgettable games, goals, joy and a passion that only those of us who feel for ‘Atleti’ can understand,” Griezmann said in a writing on the Madrid team’s website.

In it, the world champion asks to leave “the future in the future for now.” “Because I’m not leaving yet. I have months left with this shirt, months to leave my life in our stadium and outside, to lift that Copa del Rey and to dream of going as far as possible in the Champions League,” he stressed.

“We still have many opportunities ahead of us to be happy. I want every minute I have left here to be a tribute to this shield. The best remains. We will do it as always: together. My present remains red and white until the last breath of this 2026 season. And my heart will be forever. Aúpa Atleti,” Griezmann said.

He also expressed his happiness for his upcoming new adventure on his new club’s website. “I am very excited to start this new chapter of my career with Orlando City. From my first conversations with the club, I could feel great ambition and a clear vision for the future, and that convinced me. I really want to make Orlando my new home, meet the fans, feel the energy of the Inter&Co Stadium and give everything to help the team achieve great things,” stressed the Frenchman.

“Antoine’s arrival in Orlando represents a milestone not only for our club, but also for our city, our fans and MLS. He is one of the most talented, successful and influential players of his generation, and his decision to choose us reflects the mission and culture of our club. Our goal is to build a top-level squad every year and the addition of a world-class player reinforces that commitment and our confidence in the club’s potential,” admitted Mark Wilf, owner and president of Orlando City SC.