Atletico Madrid better than most – Djorkaeff warning for France star Griezmann

Former France forward Youri Djorkaeff has urged compatriot Antoine Griezmann to think carefully about his future as transfer speculation continues to swirl around the Atletico Madrid star.

The 26-year-old has continued his superb form at the Vicente Calderon this season, scoring 22 goals across all competitions.

Atleti are once again the closest challengers to Real Madrid and Barcelona in LaLiga and into the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they face reigning Premier League champions Leicester City next week.

The Madrid derby is up first this weekend, with Diego Simeone’s men boasting a better record domestically against their city rivals than in the Champions League finals of 2014 and 2016 – where Atletico suffered crushing losses during extra time and on penalties respectively.

Djorkaeff, who featured in France’s triumphant 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 squads, feels Atletico’s consistently high performances among Europe’s elite should come under consideration as Griezmann ponders his next move.

Manchester United have been heavily linked with a mega-money move for the forward, but Djorkaeff believes Atleti’s 2013-14 LaLiga triumph and 2012-13 Copa del Rey win show they have had a better time over recent seasons than other heavyweight names across the continent.

“You know, this decision belongs to the player but it’s all about what you are offered,” Djorkaeff told Omnisport.

“People think that Atletico is inferior to all the other [big clubs]. However Atletico Madrid played two of the three last Champions League finals, they won the Spanish league and Copa del Rey.

“They have won a lot of trophies, they have played a lot of finals as well. They just miss out maybe on the Champions League.

“However, there are only a few clubs in the last few years who have reached the final.”

98 – Griezmann has scored 98 goals in La Liga – only one French player has reached 100 goals in La Liga history (Karim Benzema, 119). Gaul pic.twitter.com/3AQHmdDs1S

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 30, 2017