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Antoine Griezmann didn’t want to be Lionel Messi’s lieutenant at Barcelona

Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann has been talking about why he decided to stay at the Wanda Metropolitano despite huge interest from Barcelona over the summer.

Griezmann was expected to move to the Camp Nou, with the Spanish champions tipped to pay his €100 million release clause.

However, a deal failed to happen with Griezmann releasing a documentary to explain his decision. He’s now added more detail and says Lionel Messi was a factor in his decision.

“Unconsciously, being Messi’s lieutenant may have played a part,” he said.

“But my teammates and club people did everything, they came to talk to me, increased my salary.