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8th July 2016
08:00am BST

He played against Ireland and stuck the knife. Impossible to keep track of yet right under our nose - always striving for the ball, arms outstretched. How many headers did the guy win that day in Lyon when the hosts sent us home? He had no right to win the half of them. 'What size is yer man?!'
Four goals and two assists heading into last night's semi final with Germany yet the names of Pogba, Payet and Giroud were mentioned as game-breakers. By the end of the 90 minutes, all we could talk about was Griezmann and one sick piece of skill from Paul Pogba.
A penalty dispatched without a flutter and a finish cooler and calmer than the chaos about him. France are on the brink and yet we're still looking at this guy and wondering how someone so slight is winning all the battles and showing up in the right places.
On Sunday, Griezmann will find Portugal pay him more attention than he is used to. They will switch off, though, just for a moment and reckon someone else will pick him up. Someone else will beat him to it.
They'll be wrong. Griezmann will step up, like he has done since leaving home at 14 to follow his dreams.
In a tournament were so many flattered, deceived and packed off early, Griezmann has shone. A player that wants the ball and wants to win. Hope for us all.

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