Antoine Griezmann to Leave Atlético Madrid for Orlando City in Major League Soccer

Antoine Griezmann will leave Atlético Madrid at the end of the 2025/26 season and join MLS club Orlando City on a free transfer in July 2026, transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano and Spanish newspaper MARCA confirmed. The 35-year-old forward, born March 21, 1991, will travel to the United States this week during the international break to finalize the remaining details of his contract. The deal, which had initially fallen through for the March transfer window, was ultimately agreed for the summer. Griezmann's departure will bring to a close a career in Spanish football that spanned more than two decades and produced some of the most memorable moments in La Liga history.

A free transfer ends two decades in Spanish football Griezmann first arrived in Spain in 2005, joining Real Sociedad's academy before making his senior debut in 2009. He subsequently moved to Atlético Madrid, then to Barcelona in the 2019/20 season, before returning to Atlético in 2021/22 — initially on loan and then on a permanent basis. Over the course of his time at Atlético Madrid, which began in the 2014/15 season, Griezmann established himself as the club's all-time leading goalscorer. He won the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup with the Madrid club, cementing his status as one of the most decorated players in the club's history. His departure on a free transfer means Atlético will receive no fee for a player who gave the club more than a decade of service across two separate spells.

Griezmann joined Real Sociedad's youth setup in 2005 and made his senior debut in 2009, going on to become one of the most prominent forwards in Spanish football. He moved to Atlético Madrid ahead of the 2014/15 season and quickly became central to the club's ambitions in both domestic and European competition. His career in Spain also included a spell at Barcelona, before he returned to Atlético in 2021/22.

137 caps and a World Cup title mark French career For the French national team, Griezmann retired in 2024 with a record that few players in the country's history can match. He earned 137 (caps) — Griezmann's total appearances for France over the course of his international career, scoring 44 goals and registering 38 assists. The source articles confirm his contributions to France's 2018 World Cup triumph and the Nations League title in 2021. His retirement from international football in 2024 closed a chapter that saw him become one of the most influential players ever to represent Les Bleus. His combination of goals, creativity, and consistency across major tournaments placed him among the defining figures of his footballing generation.

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Orlando City eyes Griezmann to boost MLS profile Orlando City, a member of the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, has been building its squad in recent seasons and views Griezmann's arrival as a significant step in raising the club's competitive standing. The signing of a player of Griezmann's calibre is expected to draw wider attention to the club and to the league as a whole, continuing a trend of high-profile European players choosing MLS as a destination later in their careers. Griezmann will travel to the United States this week, with no Atlético Madrid matches scheduled during the international break, to complete the contractual formalities. The agreement for a free transfer in July 2026 was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, whose reports on transfer deals carry significant weight in the football world. For Atlético Madrid, the task now will be to plan for a future without the player who contributed more goals than anyone else in the club's recorded history.