Why French soccer star Antoine Griezmann is always celebrating a hat-trick on April 8
By Don Riddell, CNN
(CNN) — France and Atlético Madrid soccer star Antoine Griezmann has scored five hat-tricks in his career, but none are as special – or unique – as the hat-trick he has scored with his family.
The 34-year-old World Cup winner celebrates the birthdays of his three children on the same day, April 8 – and none of them were born in the same year.
Mia came first in 2016, and she was in his arms when he celebrated Les Bleus’ World Cup triumph in Moscow two years later. In 2019, Amaro was born, and then Alba arrived in 2021. He says the fact that they share the same birthday is a total coincidence.
“It was neither intentional nor planned,” he told Journal De Femmes during an interview in 2023. “It’s just the way it is.”
He also said that none of his wife’s labors were induced, remarking to Le Figaro in 2021, “It’s crazy! I don’t have any magic potion to explain such a thing except that when you’re calm, relaxed on vacation, without pressure or matches or training, things happen naturally.”
While highly unusual, the Griezmanns are not the only family to celebrate all their children’s birthdays on the same date. The Lammerts in North Carolina have four daughters, each born three years apart, and their youngest girl was born a month ahead of schedule. Kristin Lammert told ABC News that when she and her husband realized that fate was going to give them all the same birthday, they just started laughing.
The Griezmanns may be the highest profile example of such a wonderful family coincidence. Antoine has played 137 games for the French national team, and he’s spent much of his career at Atlético Madrid, one of the top clubs in Spain’s La Liga. He’s won the Europa League with the Colchoneros and the Spanish Cup with Barcelona, and he’s also played in the Champions League final and two World Cup finals – winning in 2018 and losing in 2022.
But he’s nowhere near the record for the most children born on the same day.
According to Guinness World Records, that number is seven. In the Pakistani city of Larkana, Ameer Ali Mangi and Khudeja Ameer raised four boys and three girls – including two sets of twins – who were all born on August 1 between 1992 and 2003. Mangi told Arab News in 2023 that before setting the record, they used to celebrate birthdays modestly, but now they do so with “Much more happiness and excitement!”
His family is now globally famous and they are local celebrities who pose for selfies whenever they’re recognized.
What’s even more remarkable, though, is that this family celebrates everything on the same day of the year, as not only were the children all born on August 1, both Mangi and Ameer were both born on that date in 1968 and 1973, and they were also married on that date in 1991.
Springtime is often a special time for European soccer players – league titles and cup competitions are often decided in April and May. But whatever happens, Griezmann will always get to celebrate a hat-trick on April 8.
“It’s a day that will be forever etched in the family’s memory, especially between brothers and sisters,” he said.
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