Barcelona hand Philippe Coutinho's No.7 shirt to Antoine Griezmann

Barcelona have handed the Number 7 shirt, previously worn by Philippe Coutinho, to Antoine Griezmann.

The Frenchman had tried to take the shirt last season but was blocked by the Spanish FA as Coutinho was already registered as the Number 7. The World Cup winner subsequently spent last season in the Number 17 shirt.

Antoine Griezmann thanked his Brazilian teammate for allowing him to take the shirt. He said in a tweet:

"An honour to wear the 7 at Barça! I want to thank @Phil_Coutinho, who besides being a great player is a great companion."

Thanks @KDTrey5 !!! Un honor vestir el 7 en el Barça! #SomHi #Grie7mann #ViscaBarça https://t.co/c1sk4lHH4D

— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) September 11, 2020

Quiero dar las gracias a @Phil_Coutinho, que además de gran jugador es un enorme compañero. #ViscaBarça #Grie7mann

— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) September 11, 2020

Antoine Griezmann is the new Barcelona Number 7

Antoine Griezmann is looking to start the new season with Barcelona on a high note after a disappointing 2019-20 campaign. The 29-year-old scored just 9 goals in 35 appearances in La Liga last season, numbers which are significantly worse than those he produced at Atletico Madrid.

The Frenchman took time to settle in at Camp Nou after his €120-million switch and struggled to link up effectively with Lionel Messi. However, the former Real Sociedad man expects to have a better understanding with his captain this season. He said:

"My relationship with Messi has been similar to my relationship with Mbappe, at first we did not find each other with passes and it took me a long time to get to understand him. Now everything will be better with Messi."

Antoine Griezmann was unable to replicate his Atletico Madrid form for Barcelona

There was speculation around the future of Antoine Griezmann after Ronald Koeman was announced as the new Barcelona manager. However, the Dutchman has publicly backed the forward promising him a favourable position in his team. He said:

"With all my respect, he [Antoine Griezmann] must play in his position. It is not extreme. It is not. You have to play in your role. This is where the most important part of a coach comes in, knowing your players well and getting the most out of them."

Barcelona finished a campaign without silverware for the first time since 2007 but Antoine Griezmann is looking forward to restarting in the new season. He said:

"I feel good at Barcelona, I know I have the confidence of the club and the manager. I want to go back to see my teammates and give everything to win all possible trophies since we had a season with none, something that had not happened in a long time for Barcelona."