"There's been a big change inside this stadium." Atletico Madrid have just fought back from 1-0 down to beat Villarreal 3-1 and, just a short distance inside the tunnel, the applause of the home crowd still ringing around the Estadio Metropolitano, Antoine Griezmann is talking to ESPN.
Griezmann, 32, created the equaliser and scored Atletico's crucial second against Villarreal. With that goal, he drew level as the club's all-time joint-second highest goal scorer -- 169 goals, with Adrian Escudero -- and helped give Atletico a club-record 15th consecutive home league win.
Even when trailing in the LaLiga game on Nov. 12, the fans didn't stop singing. A few days earlier, Atletico had beaten Celtic 6-0, the club's biggest Champions League win. The vibes at the Metropolitano are good.
"When the fans are like that, it's a plus," Griezmann told ESPN. "When you're really tired, in the 80th minute, they're the ones who push you. They've brought a different atmosphere to this stadium. They make you want to give everything. And you can see it in the results."
Since a difficult start to the 2022-23 season -- which coach Diego Simeone called the most difficult period of his 12 years in charge -- Atletico's fans have gone 10 months without seeing their team lose at home. Griezmann's contribution to that streak has been fundamental; for many, he's been the best player in LaLiga this calendar year.
Two weeks after the Villarreal game, he scored again in Saturday's 1-0 defeat of Real Mallorca. Another goal, another home win and another opportunity for the crowd to sing Griezmann's name.
Not long ago, his relationship with those fans looked beyond repair, their hearts broken by Griezmann's 2019 signing for Barcelona. Now, Atletico's hopes of getting a result at Barca on Sunday -- a match they go into level on points with Barca, with a game in hand -- rest on his shoulders.
The way Griezmann has rebuilt his connection with those fans, and rediscovered his form, since his return to Atletico has been a comeback to match any in LaLiga.
Let's start with the obvious: Griezmann's move to Barcelona didn't go as planned. The switch -- which he publicly agonised over in his "The Decision" documentary in 2018, before finally making the leap a year later -- wasn't as disastrous as you remember. He did manage 22 league goals in two seasons -- 35 in all competitions -- but there was no natural place for him in the Barca team. After all, his preferred playmaker role was occupied by the best to ever do it, Lionel Messi.
In 2021, with Barcelona desperate to free up space on their wage bill, the time came for Griezmann to cut his losses and move on. But rejoining Atletico wasn't inevitable. Would the fans take him back? Wouldn't it be better to start fresh somewhere else?
