Antoine Griezmann, MF, Atletico and France: #EuroRank: No. 14

Welcome to #Euro2016Rank, a weeklong look at the top 25 players we expect to see at the European Championship. Over 50 ESPN FC experts and writers from across the globe voted, and we're rolling out the results right up to opening day, when France plays Romania on June 10.

Why is Antoine Griezmann in the top 25?

Euro 2016 could be the tournament when Griezmann achieves worldwide recognition, even if his electric form for Atletico Madrid has been making headlines throughout the 2015-16 season. He had an unusual route to prominence in starting his career at Basque club Real Sociedad rather than with a French side. Since moving to Atletico Madrid in 2014, he has scored goals at an impressive rate, as a quicksilver forward whose slight frame packs quite a punch. Since making his breakthrough for France on the eve of the 2014 World Cup, he has announced himself as one of Les Bleus' leading men.

What the experts say about Griezmann:

"He is in excellent shape, has grown so much and he is a key player for the team. His future will depend just on him." -- Atletico manager Diego Simeone, September 2015.

"He's moving up the levels. His consistency and efficiency at the moment are of a very, very high level. He's always had quality -- he needs to remain fresh. He's still young but he needs to manage that a little bit." -- France coach Didier Deschamps, May 2016.

Career highlight:

Scoring a decisive breakaway goal at Bayern Munich in the 2015-16 Champions League semifinal second leg on May 3. Atletico went through after a 2-2 aggregate score line on away goals.

Stat of the season:

Griezmann scored more winning goals (11) than any other player in La Liga this season (via Opta).

What next for Griezmann after Euro 2016?

Griezmann has been a favourite of transfer talk for some time, with each of the continent's big clubs linked with him. Atletico are not afraid to sell stars but will surely only do so at a high premium.