Sports

Atletico Madrid Star Antonine Griezmann Impresses With NFL Skills; Covers Deebo Samuel, Displays Soft Hands/Route Running

#Football
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Antoine Griezmann deebo samuel skills challenge

NFL


Football players are among the best athletes in the world: *both* kinds of football players.

If you need proof, look no further than this long-running video series put out by the NFL called “Game Recognize Game,” which puts futbol stars against football stars in various skills challenges.

This season’s edition of the popular series saw Atletico Madrid and France star forward Antonine Griezmann matching up with San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel.

Griezmann has been one of the world’s elite soccer players for the last decade or so, so his athletic ability shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Still, seeing him wearing pants and chasing Deebo Samuel around the field, and doing it relatively successfully, is an unexpected visual all the same.

“On the first coverage, Griezmann had perfect reaction to Deebo stem outside. Very impressive, QB had to throw a dime to fit it in,” one reply to the video said.

“I bet Griezmann is a lot closer to playing in the NFL than Deebo is to playing in La Liga,” another fan reasoned.

Griezmann’s coverage skills weren’t the only thing earning praise from NFL fans, however, as his route-running and catching abilities were also unexpectedly impressive.

Even Deebo was impressed, as he can be heard saying that Griezmann has “got hands.”

“Agholor, Toney and MVS need to take classes,” one NFL joked after seeing Griezmann’s display.

“Could definitely see Griezmann lined up in the slot,” read another reply.

Griezmann’s NFL skills are especially unsurprising when you remember that the 33-year-old goal scorer is a massive fan of American sports culture, as he’s famously attended many NBA games over the years.

After winning the World Cup in 2018, for example, Griezmann wandered into a postgame interview on American television, grabbed the mic, looked into the camera, and simply said “I love Derrick Rose.”

You can watch the full Game Recognize Game skills challenge between Griezmann and Deebo below.