Antoine Griezmann Says Lionel Messi Is 'Like LeBron James' After Barcelona Move

Antoine Griezmann has compared his new Barcelona team-mate, Lionel Messi, to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. 

Griezmann, 28, joined Barca from Atletico Madrid last week when the Camp Nou outfit paid his €120 million (£107 million) release clause.

Next season he will join Messi and Luis Suarez in a potentially devastating Barca attack.

And the Frenchman said that the prospect of playing with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is the highlight of his move to Barca, per Ryan Benson of Goal:

"The thing that makes me happiest is playing with a partner like him. Messi will be a legend for my son and my son's children. He's like LeBron James for basketball. I want to be an important player at this great club and try to win La Liga, the Champions League and Copa del Rey, which is what I'm missing on my list."

Griezmann has spent the last five seasons at Atleti and established himself as one of the best forwards in La Liga.

He has been a consistent goalscorer in the Spanish top flight, while his creativity is another key aspect of his game:

Griezmann will likely have to adapt his game at Barca.

He has been the star man for the last five years at Atletico playing in the centre-forward role.

At the Camp Nou, he will not replace Suarez as the No. 9, and he will not eclipse Messi as the main man at the club.

He will have more opportunities to win silverware than he did while playing in Madrid, however.

Griezmann is a FIFA World Cup winner with France, but the only major trophy he won with Atleti was the 2017-18 UEFA Europa League.

In his opening campaign with Barcelona, the Blaugrana will be looking to win La Liga for the third season running.

Most crucially, though, they will be aiming to win the Champions League again, and the addition of Griezmann to the squad could be a key move in achieving European dominance.