French forward Antoine Griezmann brought an end to the speculation surrounding his future by confirming his stay at Atletico Madrid in a short video documentary dubbed “The Decision”. The 27-year-old forward was reportedly on his way to Barcelona but rescinded his decision as shown in the video released on Thursday after thoroughly thinking it through.
A backlash followed the new development with the French forward coming under heavy criticism on social media for prolonging his verdict. Barcelona defender was also implicated by fans of the Catalans as it was his production company Kosmos Studios which made "The Decision" documentary.
Pique’s plight was worsened after he tweeted on Thursday night that he was "ready to watch 'The Decision' tonight." Many fans saw this as an act of betrayal considering the revelation was not what they anticipated.
para ver esta noche #LaDecisión de @AntoGriezmann en @cero https://t.co/pi0UI3NT6M
— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) June 14, 2018
Speaking after Spain's 3-3 draw versus Portugal, the center back cleared the air about how he allegedly influenced Griezmann’s decision and cited that his loyalty was to Barcelona only amid claims of the club President being unhappy with the turn of events.
“A few months ago, Griezmann told me there was the chance he could come and I proposed the documentary. We thought it was a good idea.
“I wasn’t there on a day to day basis and I didn’t know the decision he was going to make. Yesterday, they called me and they told me it was going to be played.
“They criticized me for something that was going to happen anyway. I didn’t advise him, I just put the camera there to see how difficult it is.
“At the moment I knew about his decision, I called the club but there was no time to react. They didn’t record the last two. They recorded what you saw. Everything new generates debate and it’s good that people see how a decision is made.
“I spoke with Bartomeu this morning. He’s pissed off because he wanted Griezmann to sign. But no one can doubt my commitment to Barcelona."
