Coming third in the Ballon d’Or 2016 ranking by France Football behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann still won something: Best French Footballer 2016.
Scoring 32 goals in 54 appearances last season, the Atlético Madrid striker has faced a number of goalkeepers, and, as part of an interview with the magazine, the player was asked by a childhood friend who the best goalkeeper he’d ever faced was.
Despite having so many options to choose from, the Frenchman was quite clear when it came to who impressed him the most, and it wasn’t someone from La Liga, but rather two Premier League goalkeepers in Hugo Lloris, who continues to impress for Tottenham on a weekly basis, and Manchester City’s Claudio Bravo.
On Tottenham captain Lloris and Manchester City’s Bravo, Griezmann said: “It’s not because he’s my teammate, but because he’s so quick on his feet. I’ve never seen anything like it. During the Euro semis against Germany, he does an amazing save when he can’t see a thing. Suddenly you see move to the right and save the ball with one hand.
“At the end of the game, he saved another one as quickly. He’s a super goalkeeper. If I’d been a goalkeeper, I would have liked to have his speed. Then, I’d like to have the ball-playing ability of Claudio Bravo, with whom I played at Real Sociedad. For me, he’s the best in that department. A mix of the two would be magnificent.”
The now Manchester City goalkeeper, who replaced Joe Hart at the Etihad after Pep Guardiola deemed the Englishman’s ball-playing ability to be sub-par, has come under a lot of criticism since joining the Premier League, unlike Hugo Lloris, who even made the Ballon d’Or shortlist this year.
In fact, the Tottenham goalkeeper isn’t that bad with the ball in his feet either, and the 29-year-old even admitted to have improved in that department thanks to Mauricio Pochettino.
He might need to have a word with Griezmann at this rate.
