DOHA, Qatar — You might find it quite hard to follow Antoine Griezmann at the moment. The France international is a “No. 9.5” who wears the No. 7 jersey, but is playing as a No. 8 at the World Cup. Still with us?
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The 2018 World Cup winner started his career as a wide attacking player for Real Sociedad, hence he favours the No. 7 on his back. He made his name as a second striker for Les Bleus and Atletico Madrid, hence the playing as a “No. 9.5” — something of a hybrid between a centre-forward and a playmaker just behind the striker. Now France manager Didier Deschamps is reinventing Griezmann for the national team as a truer midfielder — a No. 8.
It is a credit to Griezmann that he has been able to make this new position his own and to shine like he has so far in this World Cup. Deschamps also deserves credit for dreaming up the idea, meticulously planning for it and helping make it a success.
“You know, you would make a great holding midfielder,” Deschamps told Griezmann, one of his favourite players in his squad, at breakfast roughly two years ago. “I think you have everything to be a great No. 6.”
They both laughed it off, but the idea never left the manager’s mind. We don’t know, and might never know, if Deschamps was right and Griezmann could do a great controlling the midfield as a No. 6, but the idea evolved into playing him as a more dynamic No. 8 when a wave of injuries hit the national team before the 2022 World Cup. Without Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Corentin Tolisso, Deschamps grew convinced that Griezmann could be the solution.
“He has everything to play deeper: the vision, the work rate, the touch, the energy, the intelligence,” explained Deschamps. For him, it was a no-brainer.
