Our children will be proud, says french striker Griezmann

Moscow, July 16 (IANS): France forward Antoine Griezmann hailed his “extraordinary” teammates after Les Blues won the FIFA World Cup for a second time.

Griezmann was named man of the match, scoring from the penalty spot and setting up Paul Pogba for France’s fourth goal in their 4-2 victory over Croatia on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

He also delivered the 18th-minute free-kick that flew into the back of the net after a deflection off Mario Mandzukic’s head.

“For me the collective is the most important thing. If you have a strong and united team, you can do anything,” the Atletico Madrid forward said after the match.

“I have extraordinary teammates and now we’re going to be a part of history. Maybe it won’t hit home immediately but in the future our children are going to be proud of what we have done. Now we have to enjoy it.”

Griezmann, who scored four goals during the World Cup, has been touted as a possible winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or, awarded to the world’s best player.

The 27-year-old said his immediate priority is to celebrate the World Cup triumph with his teammates, friends and family.

“We still have the European Super Cup (in August) to play and I hope that we can win it,” Griezmann said. “But right now I want to enjoy this. I can focus on that later.”