Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann has apologised for dressing up in blackface.

The striker caused controversy on social media after posting a photograph of himself in blackface as part of a fancy dress costume.

He was dressing up as an NBA basketball player.

The Frenchman was met with a barage of criticism online - initially responding: "Calm down guys, I am a Harlem Globetrotters fan … it’s a tribute.”

Je reconnais que c’est maladroit de ma part. Si j’ai blessé certaines personnes je m’en excuse.

— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) December 17, 2017

Soon after that, he deleted the pictue and tweeted an apology. “I recognize that it was clumsy of me”

“If I have offended people, I apologize.”