Antoine Griezmann breaks Atletico Madrid goalscoring record،
Antoine Griezmann became Atletico Madrid's all-time top scorer on Wednesday, brilliantly netting his side's second goal against Real Madrid, surpassing club legend Luis Aragones.
Atletico and Real were playing in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup at Al Awal Park in Saudi Arabia at King Saud University in Riyadh and Griezmann scored his 174th goal for The Rojiblancos to bring his team level with their derby rivals before the break.
“It’s something incredible for me,” Griezmann said after the match. “I'm proud, there were a lot of emotions at halftime. But I'm going to continue to work and improve.”
Carlo Ancelotti's side won a thrilling match 5-3 in extra time to set up a weekend final against the winner of Thursday's game between Barcelona and Osasuna.
The France international had equalized Aragones – who spent a decade at Atletico as a player between 1964 and 1974 and set a record that stood for almost 50 years – by scoring twice in the 3-3 draw. Atletico against Getafe in December, matching his 173 goals for the club.
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Griezmann's goals came in two spells at Atletico – the first between 2014 and 2019 and the second in 2021, after a two-year stay at Barcelona.
“Time will tell if I'm a legend, if I stay in people's minds for years, like Luis Aragones did,” Griezmann told ESPN in December.
“Let's hope so, because he's someone very important in the history of the club. I hope I can reach that level.”
The striker has made 368 appearances for Atletico in all competitions, two fewer than Aragones' 370 appearances.
“[Griezmann] “He is an extraordinary footballer and an ideal person for a team like Atletico Madrid,” coach Diego Simeone said ahead of La Liga's Christmas break.
“Luis [Aragones] was with him when he took that penalty [against Getafe], accompanying one of the best players in the history of Atletico Madrid, Griezmann. These are incredible numbers, he deserves it.”
Griezmann signed for Atletico from Real Sociedad in July 2014 and has become a key player and one of La Liga's most reliable scorers.
He made a controversial €120 million ($131.5 million) move to Barcelona in the summer of 2019, before returning to Atletico two years later in an initial loan deal, made permanent last season.
Griezmann won the Europa League with Atletico in 2018 – the same year he won the World Cup with France – but has never won La Liga and was a Champions League runner-up in 2016.
The striker has been in the best form of his career this season, scoring 11 goals in 19 league matches and five goals in six Champions League matches.
