Adieu Antoine Now France will realise Griezmann was undervalued and irreplaceable

Not all of the beaten Bleus headed for the tunnel of the Parc des Princes at the final whistle of France's 3-1 defeat by Italy on 6 September. One of them, Antoine Griezmann, trotted around the whole periphery of the pitch on his own to applaud the crowd.

- Philippe Auclair

We did not know then, as he must have done, that his 136th appearance for Les Bleus - there'd be a 137th three days later in Lyon, an 11-minute cameo against Belgium - was his last chance to say adieu in the French capital. There was no need for fireworks. No video of his finest moments in blue would be shown on a giant screen, no memento would be given to him in the centre circle. All he desired was a last, private moment of communion with a French public to whom he'd given so much, but which is only starting to appreciate how good he was. No, not "how good". How great.

This will seem absurd. France have taken part in three major finals over the past eight years, and Griezmann could lay a claim to have been the best player not just for France, but overall - in each of these tournaments. Yet fewer French people than you think would put him in the top five of the men who put on the blue jersey. Zinedine Zidane would be fighting for top spot with Michel Platini. Kylian Mbappé, though still only 25, would be a natural choice for younger fans. Raymond Kopa would get a mention, as the first of our footballers to become recognised beyond our borders and win the Ballon d'Or. Thierry Henry Didier Deschamps and Just Fontaine, too.