When Antoine Griezmann finally signed for Barca, a year too late it must be said, the player would surely have been aware that he would need to earn his place.
Though there are many instances where new players walk straight into their new club’s starting XI immediately upon signing, in the Frenchman’s case the roll call of talent already in Barca’s front line was always going to take some shifting.
To his credit, given the rough ride he probably expected from players and supporters alike, Griezmann has gone about his business in the right way.
Even Diego Simeone recently alluded to it, saying in an interviewing that his former player “will enter the group, step by step, calmly.