Antoine Griezmann Names Barcelona-Bound Frenkie de Jong as His Toughest Opponent

Atletico Madrid and France forward Antoine Griezmann has named Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong as the most challenging player he has come up against. 

De Jong, who has agreed to join Barcelona from the Dutch giants in the summer, is rated as one of the best prospects in world football and shone for the Netherlands when they beat France 2-0 in November.

Griezmann was impressed, and despite having played in some of the biggest matches in the game, the Frenchman said the 21-year-old stands out.

"I would say De Jong from Ajax because I tried to put pressure on him and never succeeded." the Atletico star told Oh My Goal. 

Per Copa90, Griezmann isn't the only high-profile footballer to have had high praise for De Jong:

Griezmann was also asked who he would rate as the best footballer in history and named two of his long-term La Liga rivals—Barcelona's Lionel Messi and former Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now at Juventus.

"Well you know it depends on the era, but I would say Messi or Cristiano," he said. "I never saw how Pele or Maradona played. It's a tough question. Everyone has their own style. There's also [Zinedine] Zidane. Zidane won the World Cup. Messi and Ronaldo never have."

Griezmann also opted for Diego Costa as his favourite team-mate. "He allows me to play so freely," said the Frenchman. "He's a guy I work really well with on the pitch. We understand each other with a single look, we know where we're both at."

Having played against some of the best players of his generation, the fact Griezmann holds De Jong in such high esteem is testament to the young midfielder's talent. So often in games the Atletico man is tasked with shutting down the deep-lying playmaker, although De Jong was able to evade his harrying.

Per WhoScored.com, early in his career De Jong has developed a reputation for being able to beat challenges:

Next season, Griezmann will be coming up against the Dutchman again, although there doesn't appear to be a guarantee he will be a regular starter for Ernesto Valverde's side yet. The Blaugrana, after all, have many midfield options at their disposal:

The comments from Griezmann will only add to the hype surrounding De Jong. For Griezmann and others who will be in opposition to him in La Liga for years to come, finding a way to nullify his influence looks as though it will be an unenviable challenge.