Interview

Lacazette - My strong bond with Griezmann

They will be in fierce competition with each other over the course of our Europa League semi-final with Atletico Madrid, but Alexandre Lacazette and Antoine Griezmann are firm friends off the pitch.

The France internationals are so close that they go by the nickname 'Griezzy and Lacaz', and the Arsenal striker says their bond has been a decade in the making.

"Griezzy is a very good player who I met nearly 10 years ago now," Lacazette told Arsenal Player. "We developed a strong bond and we see each other every year, either on national duty or elsewhere. We get on really well.

"You can’t really explain why you get on well with someone. It’s instinctive. Perhaps we share the same values and the same jokes.

"We laugh a lot. We like to, quote-unquote, poke fun at people but always respectfully and in a kind manner. We are both jokers. We talk about our current lives and our families. Normal stuff.

"In every day life, we both have a laugh, we are always pretty lively. And for faults, I would say that he would stress that I like to relax and I’m very slow on the uptake, quote-unquote!"