“Everyone is free to express their opinion but I think he should take the advice of (Diego) Simeone, (Diego) Godin or Koke who represent the values that serve them (Atletico Madrid) well. “But I have always said that he is a great player and I wish him the best.”
Sergio Ramos has launched a scathing attack on Antoine Griezmann’s attitude after the French forward said he has his eye on the Ballon d’Or this year and is on a par with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
In an interview with AS on Monday, Griezmann admitted he was disappointed not to be nominated for the Best FIFA Men’s Player award and regarding the Ballon d’Or prize, he said: “I have it in my head and there are three months to give everything”.
Asked if he considered himself in the same class as Ronaldo and Messi, the Atletico Madrid player said: “Yes I think so and I know other players are going to come for sure.
“Being at that table is a vision I have but I also know that I can do better.”
Griezmann also teased Ramos after Atletico beat Real Madrid 4-2 to win the UEFA Super Cup in August. The striker posted a picture on social media of Ramos placing a crown upon his head.
When asked about Griezmann’s comments on Tuesday, Ramos said: “Ignorance makes you very bold.
“When I hear this kid talk, I remember players like (Francesco) Totti, Raul, (Gianluigi) Buffon, (Iker) Casillas, (Paolo) Maldini, Xavi or (Andres) Iniesta who have won everything but not a Ballon d’Or.
“Everyone is free to express their opinion but I think he should take the advice of (Diego) Simeone, (Diego) Godin or Koke who represent the values that serve them (Atletico Madrid) well. “But I have always said that he is a great player and I wish him the best.”
Atletico plays Monaco in France on Tuesday in the Champions League while Madrid begins the defence of their title at home to Roma on Wednesday.
Julen Lopetegui’s side are chasing a fourth consecutive European triumph but they will be without Ronaldo, who scored 15 goals in last year’s competition and joined Juventus in the summer.
“He has defined an era at Madrid, broken all the records but he is already in the past,” Ramos said.
“We cannot dwell on what he did in the past. The hole he leaves is very big but it has been covered by other players with a lot of ambition and we have a great squad to compete.
“We always have a lot of love for top players but when they are not there, you have to keep going. We wish him the best, as long as he is not playing against us.”
Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema have both made strong starts to the season in Ronaldo’s absence but some, including Messi, have said Madrid will still be worse off without the Portuguese.
“I respect the opinion of everybody,” Ramos said. “Cris gave us a lot and took away very little. He was very direct, scored a lot of goals.
“Now we have to adapt to another style, we have more possession and another way to hurt our opponents and that is what we have to exploit.”
The Genius Media
