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Ex-Barcelona Star Delights in Painful Copa del Rey Elimination With Five-Word Jab

Atlético Madrid ended Barcelona’s Spanish cup defense in dramatic fashion.

By Roberto Casillas

3:30 PM EST

Barcelona came so close to completing a near miraculous comeback. / David Ramirez/Soccrates/Getty Images

Antoine Griezmann had the last laugh after Atlético Madrid eliminated Barcelona from the Copa del Rey semifinals, taking to social media following the tie’s conclusion to throw a jab at his former club.

Atlético Madrid pummeled Barcelona 4–0 in the first leg of the tie, with Griezmann responsible for the second goal that night. The Catalans made a valiant effort and got within one of completing the comeback in the second leg, but their 3–0 victory saw Atléti still emerge victorious on aggregate.

Diego Simeone’s side ended Barcelona’s cup defense and, consequently, their all-conquering reign over Spanish soccer—the 2025–26 Copa del Rey will be the first domestic trophy Barcelona fail to lift during the Hansi Flick era. For Griezmann, though, it was particularly sweet, and he didn’t waste the chance to enjoy the moment and poke fun at Barça’s misfortune.

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Antoine Griezmann Gets Barcelona Revenge With Major Jab

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Griezmann posted a picture on Instagram where he’s seen celebrating Atléti’s qualification to the Copa del Rey final, with exhausted and distraught Barcelona players visible in the background. The Frenchman didn’t stop there though, adding a cheeky caption to the post.

“Is this picture too harsh?” Griezmann wrote.

The post instantly went viral, igniting fury from Barça supporters and joy from Atléti fans alike. Atlético Madrid teammates Dávid Hancko and Marcos Llorente were among those who commented on the post, joining in the fun.

Griezmann’s post is no coincidence nor is it unprovoked, though, but it is rather a response. This time last year, it was Barcelona who eliminated Atléti in the Copa del Rey semifinals, and the Catalans had a celebratory post Griezmann clearly didn’t forget about.

Esta foto va muy dura 🥵 pic.twitter.com/TZqhmCIZbe

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) March 17, 2025

Barcelona’s official X account posted a picture after eliminating Atléti of their squad gathered together on the Metropolitano pitch, with a blurred Griezmann in the foreground. The caption? The same exact one Griezmann utilized a year later.

Griezman spent two rather inglorious seasons with Barcelona from 2019–2021. He joined the Catalans from Atléti with high expectations placed on him, but he never delivered the level he had shown in the Spanish capital and returned to Los Rojiblancos ahead of the 2021–22 season.

Although there was never really much animosity between Barcelona and Griezmann, the Catalan post on X clearly irked the 34-year-old attacker. A year later, he got the last laugh.

With Griezmann and Atléti advancing to the Copa del Rey final, the club legend is now within reach of a career first in what could be his final season in Spain.

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Antoine Griezmann Close to Ending Trophy Drought

Antoine Griezmann has become an Atlético Madrid icon. / Angel Martinez/Getty Images

Griezman is currently playing his ninth season across his two stints with Atlético Madrid. After progressing to the final, the Copa del Rey represents potentially his last chance of winning a major domestic title in his career with the club.

Griezmann joined Atléti ahead of the 2014–15 season, only months after Simeone led the club to a first La Liga title in almost 20 years. But after winning a the Spanish Super Cup—in its previous single-game format—upon arrival, Griezman would only lift the 2017–18 Europa League until he departed for Barcelona.

The 2020–21 Copa del Rey title is the only trophy Griezmann won in his two seasons with Barça. As fate would have it, Atlético Madrid won La Liga that same season in what remains the most recent trophy collected during the Simeone era.

Not a single trophy has been added to Atléti’s trophy cabinet since Griezmann’s return to the club in the summer of 2021. Now, after dispatching his former team, Griezmann has a chance to put an end to his domestic title drought with the club that saw him become one of the best players of the past decade and that helped him twice finish on the Ballon d’Or podium.

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