Griezmann’s Orlando City Debut Delivers a Goal but Not a Fix

Antoine Griezmann needed 32 minutes to score in his first appearance for Orlando City. He added an assist before he even left the pitch. It was the debut Orlando paid for, and it still didn’t move the club off 12th place in the Eastern Conference.

The French forward, a 2018 World Cup winner, called the Major League Soccer (MLS, the top tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada) move a dream come true after his official unveiling on July 7. Two days later he was the headline act in a preseason rout, and in three weeks he makes his real MLS debut against a team that isn’t much better off than Orlando is right now.

Griezmann Scores in His First Night Wearing Purple

Griezmann’s introduction at Full Sail Live on July 7 came with a video of him getting his hair dyed purple, a detail that drew a loud reaction from the club’s supporters groups packed into the venue. Less than 24 hours later, he backed it up on the field.

Wearing Orlando’s new No. 7, Griezmann scored in the 32nd minute of a preseason friendly against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, weaving through the defense before finishing low across goal. He later pressured the Rowdies’ goalkeeper into a turnover and set up Iván Angulo’s goal in the 61st minute. Orlando won 6-0.

“Here I am, very eager, and my goal is to win a trophy and make the whole city happy,” Griezmann said at his presentation, delivering the line in Spanish as part of the club’s rollout.

None of it changes the standings. Orlando sits 12th in the Eastern Conference after 15 of 34 games, four points behind D.C. United for the ninth and final playoff spot.

A Two Year Chase That Ended Over Coffee and Water

Orlando had been trying to get Griezmann to Florida for years before he said yes. In 2025, Los Angeles FC pushed hardest for his signature, and Griezmann instead re-signed with Atlético Madrid, with his camp citing the Spanish club’s financial package as the deciding factor.

Orlando’s version of the pitch was different. General manager and sporting director Ricardo Moreira flew to Madrid to meet Griezmann in person, a trip the player still brings up unprompted.

Ricardo’s visit to Madrid, eight or nine hours of traveling, just knowing that for me was incredible. It was a nice moment when I invited him only to coffee and water. A couple of hours went by, and it went incredibly well.

That’s Griezmann, describing the meeting that he says convinced him. Moreira has told a similar version of it, recalling that Griezmann’s family opened their home to him during the visit and that the human connection sealed his own certainty the deal would eventually get done.

The two sides announced the signing pending medical clearance and his international transfer paperwork on March 24, 2026, with Griezmann formally joining as a Designated Player once he finished the season in Spain. Here’s how the chase actually unfolded.

1. June 2025: Griezmann signs a new deal with Atlético Madrid instead, with his agent later saying the Spanish club’s financial offer was too strong to turn down.
2. March 6, 2026: Talks with Orlando reportedly stall over money, with an offer in the range of 10 million to 15 million euros on the table and Griezmann weighing whether to wait for a summer move instead.
3. March 24, 2026: Orlando City announces the signing, with Griezmann under contract through the 2027-28 season and a club option for 2028-29.
4. July 7 to 8, 2026: Griezmann is unveiled to fans, dyes his hair purple for the occasion, then scores and assists in a 6-0 friendly win over Tampa Bay.
5. July 22, 2026: Griezmann is scheduled to make his official MLS debut on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes, once the league resumes from its World Cup break.

By the time he steps onto the field in San Jose, it will have been 59 days since Griezmann’s last competitive appearance for Atlético Madrid, where he finished as the club’s all-time leading scorer with 212 goals in all competitions before he left. Across his 17 seasons in Spain with Real Sociedad, Barcelona and Atlético, he racked up 298 goals and 132 assists in 792 appearances.

How Much Is Griezmann Actually Being Paid

Orlando hasn’t confirmed an exact salary, and MLS doesn’t require it to. What’s public is a floor, not the real number: as a Designated Player joining during the league’s secondary transfer window, Griezmann’s compensation only has to clear a Maximum Salary Budget Charge of $401,562.50 to qualify for the DP mechanism, a threshold his actual pay almost certainly clears many times over.

Reporting from earlier this year gives a clearer picture of what Orlando was actually offering. Journalist Fabrice Hawkins reported the two sides had a verbal agreement worth €10 million a year (roughly $11 million). Separately, Matteo Moretto of Radio Marca reported Orlando’s offer ranged from €10 million to €15 million (about $11 million to $16 million), which at the top end would have put Griezmann’s total compensation around $17.4 million, just behind Lionel Messi and ahead of every other player in the league.

Those figures come from the MLSPA’s 2025 Salary Guide and pre-signing transfer reporting, not from Orlando or the league confirming a final number. Whatever Griezmann is actually paid, the reporting during negotiations left little doubt he’d become one of the two or three best paid players in MLS history.

The Defense Griezmann Cannot Fix Alone

Orlando didn’t sign Griezmann because it lacked talent up front. It signed him because everything else around the attack has been falling apart.

The Lions have conceded 44 goals in their first 15 league matches this season, by far the worst defensive record in MLS during the first half of the campaign. Head coach Óscar Pareja, who had guided Orlando to six straight Audi MLS Cup Playoffs appearances, was let go just four games into the season. Assistant Martín Perelman has run the team on an interim basis ever since.

Griezmann has been complimentary about what he’s seen in training under Perelman, calling the technical level “quite, very good” during his first week. But a 35-year-old forward, however gifted, doesn’t play centre back. Orlando’s coaching search and its defensive collapse are separate problems that a marquee attacking signing doesn’t touch.

The Nearest Precedent Wears Pink, Not Purple

Orlando’s situation has an obvious parallel, and it isn’t flattering on its own. Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in the middle of the 2023 season under almost identical circumstances: a club sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, already out of realistic playoff contention, betting that one transcendent signing could change its trajectory.

Messi’s arrival produced an immediate, spectacular run, including a Leagues Cup title in his first weeks in Florida. It did not get Inter Miami into the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. The team’s regular-season form simply hadn’t been strong enough before he arrived, and a few months of brilliance from one player wasn’t enough to close a gap built over a full season.

Orlando is further from the playoff line than Miami was fortunate points wise but facing a similar mathematics problem. Griezmann arrives for the second half of a season Orlando has already mostly lost the thread on, with 19 games left to make up four points and fix a defense that’s let in more goals than any other team in the league.

Orlando Joins a Long Line of Europe to MLS Homecomings

Griezmann isn’t the first European star, or even the first Frenchman, to make this exact move at this stage of his career. He follows a recognizable path.

• Youri Djorkaeff and Thierry Henry both finished their careers with the New York Red Bulls after decorated spells in Europe.
• Blaise Matuidi joined Inter Miami CF as the club built its international profile before Messi’s arrival.
• Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris both moved to LAFC, with Lloris still playing in California.

What’s different for Griezmann is the age at which he’s making the jump and the size of the paycheck attached to it. At 35, he’s not chasing one last contract for the money alone. He’ll be 37 when his current deal in Orlando runs out, with a club option covering a potential third year after that.

When Does Griezmann Actually Play a Game That Counts

Griezmann’s competitive MLS debut comes on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes on July 22, the league’s first weekend back after the World Cup break. From there, Orlando has 19 regular-season games left to close a four-point gap and climb into the Eastern Conference’s ninth spot or better.

There’s also a new trophy on the calendar. Orlando opens Leagues Cup play against Liga MX side Monterrey, with León and Atlético San Luis rounding out the group, giving Griezmann an early look at Mexican competition he says he’s looking forward to testing himself against.

Somewhere in the second half of the season, Orlando and Inter Miami meet again, which means Griezmann and Messi share a field in MLS colors for the first time. Griezmann has said he’s watched the previous Florida derby and is looking forward to renewing his rivalry with a player he calls a friend.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Does Antoine Griezmann Make His First Official MLS Appearance

Griezmann is scheduled to make his competitive Orlando City debut on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes on July 22, 2026, the first weekend MLS resumes play after its 2026 World Cup break. By kickoff, it will have been 59 days since his last appearance for Atlético Madrid.

Who Is Coaching Orlando City Right Now

Martín Perelman, previously an assistant, has run the team on an interim basis since Orlando parted ways with longtime head coach Óscar Pareja four games into the 2026 season. Pareja had led the club to six consecutive Audi MLS Cup Playoffs appearances before his exit.

What Is Orlando City’s Group in the 2026 Leagues Cup

Orlando opens Leagues Cup play against Liga MX club Monterrey on August 5, with León and Atlético San Luis completing the group. It’s a new trophy chase Griezmann has specifically flagged as a goal for his first months with the club.

Will Griezmann Play Against Lionel Messi This Season

Orlando City and Inter Miami CF have already met twice in league play this year, and Griezmann has said he’s looking forward to facing Messi and Rodrigo De Paul again. A playoff meeting between the two clubs is also possible if both qualify for the postseason.