- Antoine Griezmann attended a 80s theme fancy dress party on Sunday night
- The costume idea by the Atletico Madrid star was a questionable one
- Griezmann opted to paint himself black and go as an NBA basketball All Star
- The striker responded to his own post, telling people to calm down
By Danny Gallagher For Mailonline
Published: 15:54 EST, 17 December 2017 | Updated: 17:03 EST, 17 December 2017
Antoine Griezmann caused outrage on Sunday evening after posting an image of himself painted up black to replicate a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.
The Atletico Madrid star was attending an '80s party' as he informed fans on social media, uploading an image of himself on to both Twitter and Instagram.
Griezmann could be seen donning an Afro wig while wearing an NBA vest, striped shorts and clutching a basketball by his side.
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Antoine Griezmann took the decision to 'black up' as an NBA All Star for a party on Sunday
All visible parts of the 26-year-old's skin were painted up, while his smile suggested he was pretty pleased with his costume effort.
After posting his creation to social media, the France international was immediately and understandably hit with a backlash.
Many users instantly called for him to delete the post, warning the striker the reception to his dress-up would not be favourable.
In a brief response the Frenchman wrote: 'Calm down guys, I'm a fan of the Harlem globetrotters and the good times… it's a tribute.'
After some consideration he then followed this up with something more closely resembling an apology, writing on Twitter: 'I agree that it's awkward for me. If I hurt some people excuse me.'
Griezmann has since deleted his original post, and his response telling people to calm down.
The striker is one of the most in-demand footballers on the planet, and is widely expected to sign for the likes of Barcelona or Manchester United in the near future.
One fan online took immediate offence to the image and responded to the Frenchman: 'don't come near my club pls and thank you.'
Another simply couldn't believe the judgement of the player, with such a huge following, was so far off. 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING??' the confused user wrote.
Piers Morgan quickly gave his take on the situation, quote-tweeting Griezmann's image along with the added caption: 'And Overseas Racially Insensitive Imbecile of the Year goes to.'
TV presenter and media personality Rick Edwards also questioned the actions of the Atletico man, re-sharing the Tweet along with an added, 'Ummm.'
As the fury quickly whipped up Griezmann chose to address the matter by replying to his original post and calling for calm.
It isn't the first time a situation like this has arisen with a footballer, though Griezmann is certainly the most high profile to have committed the error.
In December 2016 Tranmere Rovers striker James Norwood had to issue an apology after turning up in black face-paint for the club Christmas party, attempting to emulate a sunglasses seller.
The image was uploaded to Instagram by Norwood who – like Griezmann – quickly received a negative response.
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