Griezmann: 'I needed to run and kick a ball'

A fun chat on Thursday between Antoine Griezmann, Niko Mirotic and Álex Abrines brought the football and basketball players together to discuss sport, video games and Barça trivia from over the years.

Chatting on the Mallorcan guard’s Twitch account, Abrines asked the others questions from our Barça Quiz. For example, which goalkeeper was on the receiving end of Leo Messi’s quickest goal ever? Neither of them got the answer right. Could you? Test yourself here!

Griezmann: ‘Playing without fans will be weird’

“Our first game will be against Mallorca but with no fans” commented the French striker. “This will be the first time I’ve played a game like that. Neither have I ever gone for so long without playing. It has meant that I have been able to enjoy quality time with my kids and to play on the PlayStation, but I’ve missed running and kicking the ball.”

On his love for basketball, and particularly his avid interest in the NBA, Griezmann said “I had a basketball hoop at my home in Madrid so I could disconnect from football. After training, I’d have lunch and start playing at 4.00 through to 6.00 or 7.00.”

The interest is mutual, for Mirotic is a huge football fan. “I used to play with my brother when we were kids” he revealed. “That was until I was about 13.”

He too is going to find the experience of playing behind closed doors rather odd. “It will be very different not to have fans in the Palau” he says. “All we will hear will be the voices of the other players.”