Just 12 months after declaring his undying love for Atletico Madrid, Antoine Griezmann has broken thousands of Rojiblanco hearts with the news that he will leave the club at the end of the season. Followers of the club will be wondering how things could’ve gone so wrong in the space of a year, but it was probably Griezmann’s ‘decision’ to stay which sparked the chain of events that has led to him leaving. Why? Once Diego Costa found out the extortionate pay rise the World Cup winner had been afforded, he was in the ear of Diego Simeone and the board incessantly across the season. Lucas Hernandez, courted by Europe’s top teams, found that with hardly any money left in the Atleti pot, he would only earn more elsewhere, prompting a switch to Bayern Munich, which will be official from July 1. Since that announcement in March, club captain Diego Godin has confirmed his departure, as has Juanfran, with Filipe Luis expected to follow suit. Two of the club’s best midfielders, Rodri and Saul, are also being monitored by various interested parties. From believing that Atleti would be serious challengers in La Liga and Europe, to a large-scale restructuring of playing staff within 12 months, has to be why Griezmann has decided to jump ship too. It’s as obvious now as it was when he originally decided to stay put that the Frenchman can fulfil all of his desires in a professional sense alongside Lionel Messi too.

Indeed, he has a better chance of winning a coveted Ballon d’Or whilst having the Argentinian as a colleague rather than an opponent… as Neymar has found out. But would his hire represent a panic buy for the Catalans?