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Antoine Griezmann , often described as "the most Uruguayan of the French," is rarely without his mate . The South American infusion is now, for many French people, " Griezmann's drink ."
If you are wondering what Griezmann drinks , what Griezmann's drink is , or where to find Griezmann's mate gourd , this article is for you.
Trained at Real Sociedad from the age of 14, it was there, surrounded by South American players, that Griezmann discovered mate.
As his former coach, Martin Lasarte , tells us, Antoine started drinking mate without ever having set foot in South America.
It was at the age of 18, when he was spending all his time with Carlos Bueno , a 29-year-old Uruguayan player who had taken him under his wing in the first team, that Grizou discovered mate.
Antoine Griezmann and Carlos Bueno at Real Sociedad
The latter also says that Grizi kept asking him to taste the mate "I want some, I want the Uruguayan one" until he finally accepted.
The anecdote told by Carlos Bueno in an interview with Eurosport reflects quite well the experience of almost everyone who drinks mate for the first time:
Carlos then says that it only took a few days before Griezmann asked him for more. The rest is history...
Although Antoine Griezmann has been drinking mate for quite some time now, it was only after Euro 2016 in France that he started to be seen everywhere with his calabash in hand.
This is evidenced by this video published by the French Football Federation (he talks about it briefly at the beginning, but especially from 4min30):
We see him at Clairefontaine , at breakfast where he has "A bowl of cereal, a carrot cake... And then, a little mate" until the locker room where he explains how to prepare a mate "You have a thermos, with hot water in it. You have the bombilla, it's the straw where you suck the water. There, then you have the grass inside. Where there's a hole, you put hot water... And then, you drink!"
He then explains why he drinks it and his opinion on the possible doping effects of this drink: "Actually, it's like coffee, like tea (...) Whether in the morning or in the afternoon, I drink it all the time before training . Like that, it wakes me up. Thirty blood tests, twenty anti-doping controls. So, I don't think it's a doping agent. Otherwise... things would have gone badly!"
While "Grizi" discovered mate with Carlos Bueno, his ties with Uruguay were strengthened at Atletico Madrid . There he rubbed shoulders with many other Uruguayans, including Jose Maria Gimenez and Diego Godin, whom he chose as his daughter's godfather.
El Capi and “La banda del Mate” #PrimerMate pic.twitter.com/2UmL0p2zrb
— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) September 14, 2017
Symbolic gestures, he did not celebrate his goal against Uruguay during the 2018 World Cup and even wore the Uruguayan flag on his shoulders during the post-match press conference following the victory in the World Cup final.
This earned him the thanks of the Uruguayan president , Tabaré Vazquez, who even invited him to come to Uruguay!
While it is undeniable that mate has, in a certain way, gained notoriety in France in recent years thanks to Antoine Griezmann, it would be very reductive to reduce this ancestral infusion to "Griezmann's drink".
While Uruguay is particularly mentioned in this article, mate is also very popular among its neighbors:
There are countless South American footballers who always have a mate in their hand: Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani for Uruguay, Lionel Messi , Ángel Di María and Kun Agüero for Argentina (and even Diego Maradona going back a little further!).
More than just a drink, mate is a symbol of sharing , a true way to create bonds. Antoine Griezmann's statement a few months after his arrival at FC Barcelona attests to this: "I offered Messi some mate, we're on the right track."
If mate is above all the treasure of South American players, it is now appreciated by many footballers from all over the world (French in the lead!): Paul Pogba , Cristiano Ronaldo and even the South Korean from Tottenham Son Heung-Min.
The third most consumed caffeinated beverage in the world after coffee and tea, mate is far from being confined to the football field. It is, in fact, highly valued by many celebrities. Here are a few:
Many people wonder what Griezmann's favorite brand of yerba mate is. It seems to be Canarias , the most popular brand in Uruguay.
But be careful, it is a refined mate , a mate with a very pronounced taste.
It's recommended for those who have been drinking mate for a while. If that's not you, you should try starting with green mate (which has a milder/less strong taste).
Yerba mate is very common in Uruguay, but Canarias is not produced there. The brand's mate is actually produced in southern Brazil.
Looking at his Instagram account, we quickly realize that he has a whole range of mate gourds .
Source: Instagram / @antogriezmann
The Bresciani workshop or “Bresciani Plateria Criolla”
This family workshop in Montevideo, which has nearly 10 artisans, has the distinction of making luxury gourds for the biggest names in football: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and… Antoine Griezmann.
Bresciani Workshop
These polished gourds covered with a thin layer of gold are all unique and can be purchased from €300-400 .
And if Griezmann has a calabash made by this craftsman, it's not because he bought one. In fact, it was given to him by his Uruguayan friend from Atletico Madrid, Diego Godin.
Normally, we'd tell you that unless you have Lionel Messi's number or are friends with Diego Godin, there's little chance you'll be able to find the same calabash as Antoine Griezmann.
But that's without counting on La Bombilla , which offers you a selection of gourds, each more elegant than the last.
