The tournament was supposed to belong to Paul Pogba, but it didn't. And that in itself was significant. 

It was in the days prior to the Euro 2016 final in Paris between France and Portugal, and it hadn't taken long for the focus to turn to the game's chief subplot: Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Antoine Griezmann; Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid; tournament emperor vs. tournament prince; one of football's two current kings vs. one of its kings in waiting, maybe. 

And of course: the Ballon d'Or. 

"I think he's a candidate," said Blaise Matuidi of team-mate Griezmann with regard to the game's highest individual honour. "If I had to vote, I'd vote for him."

Matuidi wasn't alone, either. Arsene Wenger gave his measured support to the France striker, Didier Deschamps touched on it, and Thierry Henry, with his national hat firmly on, referred to Griezmann as "our Ronaldo."

It wasn't lost on anyone that such endorsements were drenched in tricolour pride, but it was also striking that they weren't at all fanciful. Bias was evident but so was logic. Griezmann had led Atletico to the Champions League final only a month earlier and now he'd just led France to another finale, unquestionably the key man in both instances. 

The significance was simple: Griezmann is in the conversation. 

As the 2016-17 season approaches, that's the player Atletico Madrid will welcome back to the Vicente Calderon—their undisputed star whose excellence is now recognised almost universally and on whom the Diego Simeone era at Atletico now rests. 

When the club signed him from Real Sociedad in 2014, it knew it was getting a serious talent but probably couldn't foresee this. At the time, Simeone simply said the Frenchman would give his side "options in attack." But two years on, in this unique two-man era, Griezmann now stands as a contender for the odd but still significant title of World's Third Best Player™.

In this context, Euro 2016 was notable. Prior to the tournament, Pogba was probably considered to be ahead of Griezmann. But the man moulded and shaped by "Cholismo" has moved in front of his compatriot for now, perhaps moving into a space in which his competitors are Neymar, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale.

At 25, he's in his prime and the second-youngest player in that bunch. And he's now the man who will determine the heights the Simeone era will reach at Atletico for one simple reason: Never before has Simeone had a player like this. 

Since late 2011, the Argentinian coach has achieved the astonishing on the banks of the Manzanares, and the list of those who've shone under him is long: Radamel Falcao, Diego Costa, Diego Godin, Koke, Gabi, Tiago, Filipe Luis, Juanfran, Thibaut Courtois, Arda Turan, Jan Oblak and Jose Gimenez to name some. Others are coming, too, young stars like Saul Niguez and Yannick Carrasco. 

But Griezmann—in terms of talent, influence, diversity in skill set and completeness in contribution—now stands above them all.

As Atletico fought across all fronts last season, the extent of Griezmann's influence became so extreme that he began to challenge the larger dynamic that has existed at the club (more on that second bit in a minute). 

A return of 32 goals in all competitions was of course the standout fact, but it was so much more than that.

Throughout the campaign the Frenchman played every role there was across the front line, shouldering whatever responsibility was necessary. In Simeone's attempts to accommodate and integrate others—others like Luciano Vietto and Jackson Martinez—Griezmann happily went wide and deep to help the cause. When they didn't cut it, he went back to the middle and made up for it. More than made up for it, in fact. 

Once viewed as too small for the elite level, he also routinely moved into midfield to link and create. His defensive contribution never wavered. His aerial work allowed him to play a foot taller than he actually is. His left foot became utterly lethal. And at various points, he split open Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. 

Then he took that to the Euros, going to another level again.

Now, another campaign in red and white awaits. 

With a new season on the horizon, it's interesting to reflect on Simeone's comments in the aftermath of his side's Champions League final defeat to Real in Milan. Dejected and contemplative, the Argentinian spoke of uncertain futures and difficult questions.

"Do I have to continue with Atletico or is it the end of a cycle?" he said. "I have to think about that."

Such a remark was an emotional response in a painful moment, and Simeone will almost certainly continue. But simultaneously, the line also seemed to indicate that he and his club had reached an important juncture: On his management alone, management that has built the most magnificent collective identity, Simeone might have taken Atletico as far as he can. 

Though the achievements had been staggering and the plaudits immense, like this, it would always be a struggle. 

Simeone's message, then, was essentially this: We've gotten 95 percent of the way as we are, but for the final five I need something more. 

The thing is, in Griezmann, he might already have it—and that's where this could become fascinating. 

In all almost five years at the Vicente Calderon, Simeone has been the undisputed star at the helm of a squad in which the saying goes that there are no stars. Under him, his players have all been theoretically equal: There's no special treatment, there are no untouchables; it's "buy into the mentality or leave."

Amid that, players have come and gone. But the identity, resilience and upward trajectory developed by the man in charge have remained. That's left Simeone as the guy, the foundation for everything and the one who really matters.  

But Griezmann is now challenging that dynamic. One sensed that challenge was quietly growing in the second half of last season, and Euro 2016 has heightened the feeling.

And so now here we are: In the year that awaits, Griezmann could supersede Simeone as the most important man at Atletico. 

In the discussion for the World's Third Best Player™, the Frenchman suddenly represents the supreme, top-end talent that his manager needs to take Atleti one step further. Before him, Costa came close to such a status, and Falcao might have done with different timing.

But Griezmann has gone beyond them to reach it. On his current path, he will possess the firepower on his own to potentially push Atleti past the final barrier amid the tiny margins that exist at the top. 

To date, two years in southern Madrid have yielded 57 goals, and those two years could still be considered developmental for a guy who's only recently turned 25. (Remember, in his first six months at the club, he played only sporadically.) Extrapolate that from here based on the speed of his progression, and 30 in the league next season is realistic, and perhaps as many as 40 overall.

Or maybe even 50—it's possible you know. You'd think hard before betting against him. 

It's not just about his individual output, either. Simeone's evolving system will be built to cater specifically for the man up front. Transfer activity will be shaped by him, striking targets almost certain to be assessed primarily on their capacity to be complementary to the main man.

And his free role—the one he gradually made his own last term—will likely be further enhanced, made freer again, which will see him transcend those around him and those who've gone before him in Simeone's tenure. 

Essentially, Atletico's players will no longer all be equals as they've theoretically been. Griezmann will be different. 

He's the man on whom the final height of the Simeone era at Atletico now rests.