I remember it like it was yesterday: Diego Costa finally got his wish and returned to Atletico Madrid. After Antonio Conte brutally told him he was surplus at Chelsea, Costa simply refused to come back to London. The drama was real, and Conte even burst out laughing when asked about Costa’s “criminal treatment” claims. But for us Atletico fans, it was a homecoming party. Antoine Griezmann himself tweeted “Is coming hooome, Is coming hooome.” Cute, right?

But as a Manchester United supporter watching from afar, my first thought was: does this mean Griezmann is finally on his way to Old Trafford? After all, he had been heavily linked with us that very summer, only to stay put because Atletico couldn’t sign a replacement due to their transfer ban. Now that Costa was back, surely the Frenchman could pack his bags?

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I wasn’t alone in this thinking. Spanish football expert Guillem Balague was asked exactly that question back then. His answer? “Not in January.” He went on: “In the summer, I think we are all aware he will try to leave. But do you really think United would be the only team that will want him? Griezmann will make sure there will be an auction for him and even Atletico will try their best to keep him. So a summer transfer saga on its way!”

So a bidding war was coming. Manchester United, Manchester City, Barcelona, maybe even Real Madrid were all lurking. We United fans felt confident though — we had Mourinho, we had just signed Romelu Lukaku, and Griezmann seemed to admire the club. But did it ever happen?

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Fast forward to 2026, and I’m sitting here shaking my head. Not only did Griezmann not join United that summer, he ended up at Barcelona in 2019 in a controversial €120 million move. Then, after a mixed spell in Catalonia, he returned to Atletico Madrid on loan in 2021, and eventually made the switch permanent in 2023. The man never wore a red United jersey. And Costa? He played a couple of seasons alongside Griezmann before injuries and age caught up, and he left Atletico again. How did it all go so wrong for us hopeful United fans?

So, did Costa’s arrival actually trigger Griezmann’s exit? Looking back, the two events were only loosely connected. Griezmann had already agreed a new contract with Atletico in 2017 with a fixed release clause that dropped in 2019. Costa’s return gave Atletico more firepower, sure, but Griezmann’s departure was more about his own career ambitions and the release clause than any lack of room. If anything, Simeone probably wanted to pair them together long-term. But the media at the time spun a classic narrative: Costa returns, so Griezmann must be off. We wanted to believe it because it gave us hope.

But imagine an alternate 2018: what if United had matched the clause that summer instead of waiting? Could Griezmann have been the final piece in Mourinho’s puzzle? I often wonder about that. He would have added creativity and goals alongside Lukaku, maybe even preventing the toxic collapse that followed. Instead, we got Alexis Sanchez… and we all know how that went. Would Griezmann really have chosen Manchester over Barcelona, even if we went all in? The Catalan pull, playing with Messi, the lifestyle – I’m not so sure. He always seemed to value loyalty and home comforts, which is why he ultimately came back to Atletico. Could Old Trafford ever truly compete with that?

Now in 2026, Griezmann is 35 years old and still somehow performing at a high level for Atletico, though his prime is behind him. Costa is long retired. United have gone through a million forwards since then. It’s funny how transfer sagas define summers but rarely play out how we expect. Would I still take a peak Griezmann in United’s current rebuild? Honestly, I’d probably pass — we’ve moved on to younger targets. But I’ll always have a soft spot for the “is coming hooome” tweet and what could have been.

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So, was Costa’s homecoming the domino that pushed Griezmann out? Not exactly. Did it give me false hope as a United fan? Absolutely. The lesson? In football, never assume a deal is done until you see the player holding the shirt. And even then, check the release clause date.