'I want to win it all': Griezmann speaks after joining Barcelona

"I'll defend the Barca colours with all my determination and commitment. It's our time. This is our path", says Antoine Griezmann whose moving sparked a furious reaction from Atletico Madrid over the amount Barcelona paid for.

Barcelona's new French forward Antoine Griezmann poses during a photocall in Barcelona on July 13, 2019 on the eve of his official presentation by the Spanish football club.
AFP

Barcelona's new French forward Antoine Griezmann poses during a photocall in Barcelona on July 13, 2019 on the eve of his official presentation by the Spanish football club.

New Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann has targeted a trophy haul following his move to the Catalan club from Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona won the Spanish league title last season but it lost the Copa del Rey final to Valencia and squandered a three-nil lead following the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final against Liverpool.

Griezmann wants to change that as he prepares for his first season at the Camp Nou.

"I want to win it all. La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League. They are both the club's and my goals. I wish I can achieve it here," said the Frenchman.

The signing of Antoine Griezmann on Friday sparked a furious reaction from Atletico Madrid over the amount the La Liga champions paid for the World Cup winner.

In a statement, Barca revealed they had paid the 120 million euros to activate the Frenchman's release clause, adding he would sign a five-year deal that included a "buyout clause of 800 million euros".

"This is our path"

Griezmann almost signed for Barca 12 months ago, but instead opted to remain at Atletico, announcing his choice to stay in a documentary called "The Decision".

"When I was a boy, my dad taught me that trains don't come around just once," Griezmann said in a video posted on the Barcelona website on Friday.

"Now it's time to take on the challenge of a new destination.

"Finally, our paths cross. I'll defend the Barca colours with all my determination and commitment. It's our time. This is our path."

However, within minutes of Barcelona's announcement, Atletico said they believed "the amount paid is insufficient to meet the release clause as it is obvious that the agreement between the player and Barcelona had been concluded before the release clause dropped from 200 million euros to 120 million euros" at the start of the month.

They said Griezmann had gone to the headquarters of Spanish Football League (LFP) to "unilaterally" break his contract after Barca met the release clause, and added they had already "begun appropriate procedures" to defend their "rights and legitimate interests".

AFP

In this file photo taken on February 09, 2019 Atletico Madrid's French forward Antoine Griezmann celebrates after scoring during the Spanish league football match Club Atletico de Madrid against Real Madrid CF at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid. Antoine Griezmann has signed for Barcelona the club announced on July 12, 2019.

The announcement was the latest episode in a spat between the two Spanish clubs and Griezmann after the 28-year-old failed to show up for Atletico's pre-season gathering on Sunday following his announcement in May he would be leaving for an unnamed destination -long-suspected to be Barcelona.

Last week Atletico accused Barcelona and Griezmann of a "lack of respect" after Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed the two clubs had held talks about the former Real Sociedad forward.

Griezmann joined Atletico in 2014 and has scored 133 goals in 257 appearances, lifting the Europa League in 2018.

He won the Golden Boot at Euro 2016 when France was beaten in the final on home soil by Portugal before helping to guide his country to World Cup glory in Russia last year.

Replacement already signed

The sale of Griezmann comes after Atletico stumped up a whopping 126 million euros to sign rising star Joao Felix from Benfica last week, making the 19-year-old one of the five most expensive players in history.

The fee was a record paid by the capital city club and the highest ever received by a Portuguese outfit, and the sale of Griezmann helps finance such a huge transfer for a young player.

Felix burst onto the scene last season, scoring 20 times and making 11 assists in all competitions for Benfica as they won the Primeira Liga and reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

On Friday Atletico also unveiled Felix's former Benfica teammate Ivan Saponjic with the 20-year-old Serbian forward having signed a three-year deal with the Spanish club.

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