Antoine Griezmann to Join Orlando City SC from Atletico Madrid in July 2026

Orlando City SC signed Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, with the 35-year-old French forward set to join the MLS club in July 2026 on a contract running through the 2027-28 season, with an option for 2028-29. Griezmann leaves Atletico as the club's all-time leading scorer, having netted 211 goals in 488 official appearances across his two spells at the Spanish club. The signing fulfills a long-stated ambition for the Mâcon-born forward, who said as early as 2020 that finishing his career in the United States was a personal goal. Financial terms were not disclosed by either club. „I am very excited to begin this next chapter of my career with Orlando City. From my first conversations with the club, I could feel a strong ambition and a clear vision for the future, and that really spoke to me. I look forward to making Orlando my new home, meeting the supporters, feeling the energy at Inter&Co Stadium, and giving everything I have to help the team achieve great things.” — Antoine Griezmann via Reuters

Wilf calls signing a landmark moment for MLS Orlando City chairman and co-owner Mark Wilf described the acquisition as a transformative event for the club and the league. Griezmann will join as a Designated Player when the MLS secondary transfer window opens in July, pending medical clearance and receipt of his international paperwork. The signing comes at a turbulent moment for Orlando City, which won only one of its opening five games in the 2026 season, a run that led to the departure of head coach Óscar Pareja in March. „Bringing Antoine to Orlando is a landmark moment not only for our club, but for our city, our supporters and for Major League Soccer. He is one of the most gifted, accomplished and influential players of his generation, and his decision to choose Orlando City reflects the mission and culture of our club.” — Mark Wilf via The Guardian General manager Ricardo Moreira added that Griezmann is "a complete footballer — creative, intelligent, clinical — and he is a proven winner on the biggest stages of the game." The club now faces the challenge of finding a new permanent head coach before its marquee signing arrives in the summer.

Griezmann leaves Atletico with trophies still in reach Griezmann's departure from Atletico Madrid will come only after he completes what could be a trophy-laden final chapter with the Spanish club. Atletico face FC Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals on April 8 and 15, and meet Real Sociedad — his first professional club — in the Copa del Rey final on April 18. Across his 10 seasons at Atletico, spread over two separate stints from 2014 to 2019 and 2021 to 2026, he won the 2014 Spanish Super Cup, the 2018 Europa League, and the 2018 UEFA Super Cup. He has recorded 13 goals and four assists across all competitions in the current 2025-26 season. In total, Griezmann scored 298 goals and provided 132 assists in 792 professional appearances for Atletico, Barcelona, and Real Sociedad combined. „Let's leave the future in the future because I'm not leaving yet. I still have months left in this shirt, months to give my life on the pitch, both at our stadium and away, to lift that Copa del Rey and to dream of going as far as possible in the Champions League.” — Antoine Griezmann via The Guardian

Griezmann began his professional career at Real Sociedad in 2009, moving to Atletico Madrid in 2014. He left Atletico for FC Barcelona in 2019, spending two seasons at the Catalan club before returning to Atletico in 2021. He was named La Liga Player of the Year in 2015-16 and placed third in the Ballon d'Or in both 2016 and 2018, according to The Guardian. With the French national team, he made 137 appearances and scored 44 goals, winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2021 UEFA Nations League before retiring from international football in 2024.

NBA rings, NFL shows, and a lifelong love of American culture Griezmann's move to the United States is rooted in a deep and well-documented affinity for American sports and culture that has shaped his public persona for years. He hosts a show dedicated to the NFL on the Mundo NFL YouTube channel in Spanish, titled "NFL's Grizi Huddle," and has long been a vocal fan of the NBA, famously shouting "I love Derrick Rose" into a Fox News microphone immediately after France's 2018 World Cup final victory. Since 2023, he has also run an Instagram account called "Grizi Cards," dedicated to collectible cards featuring NBA, NFL, and baseball players, and subsequently opened an online store. His "phone" celebration at Euro 2016 was a reference to the Drake music video "Hotline Bling," and he once had championship rings made for his France teammates in imitation of the traditional NBA title rings. Orlando, a city where more than one third of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino according to Franceinfo, offers Griezmann a cultural environment that mirrors the Spanish-speaking world he has inhabited throughout his playing career. 137 (international caps) — Griezmann's appearances for France national team

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