It started via Instagram, as many connections do these days. Except this friendship took place on an international level spanning continents and professions.

It involves Antoine Griezmann — international footballer from a small town in eastern France near the border of Switzerland, a World Cup winner known around the world for his success with clubs like Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, and a mainstay for the French national team — and Julio Rodríguez — center fielder for the Mariners from a small town in the Dominican Republic, a past rookie of the year and twice an All-Star.

How the pair became friends speaks to the power of sport and connection, and explains a little why a footballer from France has been photographed wearing a Mariners hat more than a few times.

“He started kind of following me, following the Mariners, and little by little he started liking baseball and kind of the team, too,” Rodríguez told the Times last week. “I remember in ‘23 he followed me and we started talking, and we became really good friends.”

Griezmann was in Rodríguez’s adopted hometown Thursday when his club team, Atlético Madrid, beat the Sounders 3-1 in the group stage of the FIFA men’s Club World Cup. Griezmann started on the bench for Atlético but came on for the final 25 minutes of the match in which the Sounders had chances but Atleti made Seattle pay for every mistake it made.

Last week when he spoke about his friendship with Griezmann, Rodríguez was hopeful there might be a chance for the pair to connect in Seattle. It was unclear whether that happened, as Atlético Madrid arrived Wednesday afternoon in Seattle from their training base in Los Angeles, around the same time the Mariners were headed out of town on a 10-game road trip.

“We’ve been talking. I’m looking forward for him to come,” Rodríguez said.

While it wasn’t clear if Rodríguez and Griezmann ended up connecting, there was a special moment for one Seattle athlete with the French striker.

Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas grew up in Alaska with Atlético Madrid as his favorite team and Griezmann as one of his favorite players. And while he wasn’t able to arrange a jersey exchange on the field, Atlético pulled Vargas and Griezmann to swap jerseys outside the locker rooms after the match.

“Once the game [got] going, it was time to focus and do what I needed to do,” Vargas said. “And I was fighting with some of the players, so I couldn’t really be a fan.”

The friendship between Rodríguez and Griezmann started through social media, but the pair connected in person last May while the Mariners were in New York for a series with the Yankees. After playing in a La Liga match for Atleti, Griezmann made a trip to New York to catch the Mariners in person and the pair were able to link up around Griezmann’s cross-Atlantic visit.

“He went and watched us play against the Yankees, and I remember we went out, we had breakfast, we hung out with his friends. It was a really good time,” Rodríguez said.

Griezmann has long been infatuated with American sports culture. He’s talked of following the NFL through fantasy football, has been a TV commentator for NFL broadcasts in both Spain and France, and in February finished up the second season of an NFL podcast, the “Grizi Huddle.” He’s also talked of his love for the NBA.

But when it comes to baseball, it’s the Mariners. And specifically, Julio.

“I’ve got [Julio] Rodríguez, who is my favorite. I’ve got a lot of cards of him in my personal collection. I’ve got two rooms of special cards that I collect and one day I’ll publish it but, right now, I’m waiting,” Goal.com reported Griezmann saying in 2023.

To Rodríguez, the fact this connection was made — and that it led to one of the biggest soccer stars in the world being a fan of him and his team — is a little surreal.

“He started following my career and started getting more attached to the Mariners. Even now, I see him another time carrying around a Mariners hat. It’s pretty cool,” Rodriguez said.

There was the possibility of Griezmann making a move to MLS after this season considering his love of American sports and culture, and the number of European players around his age who have made the move to MLS in recent years.

But earlier this month, Atleti announced a two-year contract extension that will keep him in Madrid through the 2026-27 season, much to the pleasure of his current teammates.

“He’s a really top guy, really funny guy,” Atleti teammate Conor Gallagher said. “I really appreciate how he is on the pitch. He’s very relaxed and he’s always very calm. Off the pitch, he’s a really cool guy.”