First name: Antoine. Surname: Griezmann. Weight: 72 kg. Height: 1.75 m. On a purely physical level, Antoine Griezmann has a typical racing driver’s profile. He’s the right size to slip in behind the wheel of any car and he’s the perfect weight to avoid making the car heavier than is necessary. He is of similar stature to Benoît Tréluyer (1.78 m, 68 kg), Lucas di Grassi (1.79 m, 75 kg) and Sébastien Buemi (1.77 m, 69 kg). And like the Swiss driver, Griezmann is under 30 (he celebrated his 25th birthday in March, whereas Buemi is 27).

Enough of the statistics... let’s have a look at the French forward’s skills that would prove useful in an endurance race, beginning with his physical condition. Griezmann is an extraordinarily fit athlete. Over the course of the past season, he played a total of 64 matches for France and club side Atletico Madrid (Spanish championship, cups and UEFA Champions League). During Athletico Madrid’s run to the Champions League final, “Grizou” notched up the kilometres on the field of play: over 142 kilometres in 13 matches (142,864 metres exactly). Only his teammate Gabi covered a greater distance. Those 142 kilometres are equivalent to just over ten laps of the Circuit de la Sarthe – almost the length of a stint at the 24 Hours of Le Mans! It’s therefore fair to say that three hours behind a steering wheel would not faze the footballer. Admittedly, endurance racing does not call on the same muscles as playing soccer (drivers have particularly strong neck muscles to absorb the G-forces, due to acceleration and deceleration), but this footballer has the right attitude to work on the areas where may be slightly lacking. 

Not only does Griezmann have the required physical attributes, he also reads the game very well. His superior vision helps him to anticipate actions and situations and stay one step ahead of his opponents. Endurance drivers also have highly developed senses to continually adapt to changing track conditions or react to an incident directly in front of them. Such intelligence is key in the apparently very different sports of football and motor racing. Dribbling the ball without looking up to make a pass leads to running up a blind alley, while driving flat-out without paying attention to the surroundings usually results in running off the track. 

Griezmann has scored six of France’s last eleven goals. So at Le Mans, he could be a specialist pole chaser, like Stéphane Sarrazin! But Griezmann does not only score goals, he also stands out by his ability to direct the play and spray passes to his teammates. As a number 7, he plays either as a striker, or as left or right winger, as the circumstances dictate. Like endurance drivers who have to share the driving duties and work as a team, Griezmann is unselfish. As he is often at the heart of the team’s attacking play, he sets up plenty of goalscoring opportunities for his partners. He has made 157 successful passes so far in Euro 2016. Even when he is having an off-day, he is not the type to hide. In the opening match against Romania (won 2-1), his performance was not up to its usual standard. Outshone by Dimitri Payet, he nonetheless assisted his teammate and showed as much movement (74% of game time in motion). Endurance drivers also experience off-days but can count on their co-drivers. 

Griezmann is a technically accomplished footballer who is decisive when it matters, but is also a great team player. He shows great endurance, match after match, and this season could well be in the running for the Ballon d’Or. With such talent and skills, this footballer could well make a fine endurance driver!