Antoine Griezmann on Sunday faced a fierce backlash from fans after 'blacking up' for a fancy dress outfit.
The Atletico Madrid striker posted a picture of himself on Twitter covered head to toe in dark make-up to dress up as a basketball player.
Griezmann captioned the picture "80's party" with a basketball emoji followed by a laughing emoji, later clarifying that it was meant as a "tribute" to the Harlem Globetrotters.
The 26-year-old also posted a video of himself on Instagram at what appears to be a party in his full outfit.
The outfit was met with a largely negative response, with some commenters accusing Griezmann of racism.
Many others demanding Griezmann delete the offending picture. Griezmann tweeted a response, telling his followers to "calm down", adding: "I'm fan of the Harlem globetrotters ... it's a tribute."
Griezmann then deleted both the original photo and his explanation, before tweeting, in French: "I agree that it's awkward for me. If I hurt some people excuse me."
Griezmann's choice of outfit comes hours after a betting shop in the UK was criticised for a punter dressing-up as Diane Abbot, using black paint.
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