Atletico ahead of opponents with clever Antoine Griezmann capture

The 23-year-old’s talent was never in doubt, but it took six La Liga outings for Griezmann to record an assist, and 10 to break his duck.

Now, however, Griezmann is in the midst of a purple patch and his highly impressive 17 goals across all competitions, including six in his past six games, compare favourably to expensive Sanchez’s 18, and costly Di Maria’s paltry four.

In fairness to Griezmann’s peers, the tricky attacker has been deployed regularly in a central role supporting fellow summer signing Mario Mandzukic, with responsibility to roam and provide goals as well as creativity.

“At the start, it was difficult because I had always played on the left, and here I am playing up front. But that does not worry me now. I am not worried about my position when I am out on the pitch,” stated Griezmann.

This new role, if anything, seems to have helped the exciting forward reach another level. While Griezmann was already a fine finisher from the left wing for Sociedad, the speedster is now excelling after being encouraged to drift and do damage as he sees fit.

“Now I’m comfortable in this role. The boss gives me freedom to attack and this is great for my confidence. Since Bilbao, when I scored three goals, I am full of confidence and can see that it was worth putting the work in,” the former Sociedad star added.

Simeone certainly likes his attackers to work hard and Griezmann has proven to be a selfless and tenacious teammate, as well as forming a promising and potent partnership with Mandzukic.

Should the latest talent to emerge from France’s ranks have been snapped up by a club with greater resources, his progress could easily have stalled.

Under Simeone’s wing, however, Griezmann’s future looks set to flourish. With Atletico outsiders at 18/1 to lift the Champions League, though, it may not be long before the Spain-based star seeks pastures new.

Covetous clubs should now expect to fork out an eye-watering fee, however, and may be left to rue overlooking Atleti’s excellent capture last time around.