Erika Choperena is a Spanish child psychologist, author, and entrepreneur, best known publicly as the wife of French football legend Antoine Griezmann.
The two met in San Sebastián in 2011, years before Griezmann became one of the most decorated players of his generation, and have built a famously private family life together ever since.
One of the most charming and well-documented moments of their relationship came in March 2017, when Griezmann was fined €500 by La Liga for revealing a message on his undershirt after scoring that read, “Feliz Cumple Gordita,” Spanish for “Happy Birthday, Chubby,” a playful public birthday tribute to Erika that quickly became a fan favorite.
Erika Choperena Biography
She was born in San Sebastián, in Spain’s Basque Country. Erika Choperena studied education and pedagogy at the University of the Basque Country in San Sebastián before later specializing in child psychology and development, the field in which she would go on to build her career.
Erika has generally kept detailed information about her parents and upbringing private, consistent with her broader, well-documented preference for staying out of the public eye despite her husband’s global fame.
Ludivine Sagna, the wife of former French international Bacary Sagna, once described Erika as “very kind but very discreet,” a characterization that has continued to reflect her low-profile approach to public life for well over a decade.
Antoine Griezmann’s Wife
Erika Choperena and Antoine Griezmann met in 2011 in San Sebastián while Griezmann was playing for Real Sociedad and Erika was studying at a nearby university.
According to Griezmann’s autobiography, he spent roughly a year and a half trying to get Erika to talk to him before finally succeeding in December 2011, a persistence he has described candidly.
The couple built their relationship privately over the following years as Griezmann’s career took off, first at Real Sociedad and later at Atlético Madrid.
On June 15, 2017, after six years together, Griezmann and Choperena married in a private ceremony at the Palacio de Galiana, an 11th-century estate in Toledo, Spain, attended by close friends, family, and several of Griezmann’s Atlético Madrid teammates.
Family
Erika and Antoine have three children together, each born on April 8, although in different years. Their eldest daughter, Mia, was born on April 8, 2016. Their son, Amaro, named after Antoine’s grandfather Amaro Lopes, was born on April 8, 2019.
Their youngest daughter, Alba, was born on April 8, 2021, creating an unusual and widely remarked-upon family coincidence.
The family has generally maintained a private, close-knit home life, deliberately keeping it separate from Griezmann’s public career, a value both parents have spoken about protecting as their children have grown.
Career
Before her relationship with Griezmann drew public attention, Erika Choperena ran a lifestyle and beauty blog called Cordialmente Erika.
As Griezmann’s profile grew, the blog experienced a significant surge in traffic driven by public interest in his personal life.
Erika eventually chose to take it offline, preferring to keep her professional and personal life separate from that attention.
She went on to build a genuine and substantive career centered on child psychology and child development, working in the field for which she originally trained at university.
She also founded Duzama, a children’s clothing brand inspired by family life and parenthood, drawing on both her professional background and her experience raising three children.
In addition, Erika authored a children’s book titled Un grand jour de rien (A Great Day of Nothing), published in France, reflecting her continued professional focus on child development and family life even as her public profile grew through her marriage.
Her husband, Antoine Griezmann, began his professional career at Real Sociedad before transferring to Atlético Madrid in 2014, where he became one of the club’s most important players.
During his time there, he won the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup while helping lead the team through some of its most competitive seasons in recent history.
He later played for FC Barcelona from 2019 to 2022 before returning to Atlético Madrid, initially on loan and later on a permanent transfer.
Internationally, Griezmann represented France for a decade, making his senior debut at the age of 22. He went on to earn 137 caps and score 44 goals, becoming the third-highest goalscorer in the history of the French men’s national team.
He played a key role in France’s run to the UEFA Euro 2016 final, their 2018 FIFA World Cup triumph in Russia, their appearance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar, and their victory in the 2021 UEFA Nations League.
Griezmann announced his retirement from international football in September 2024, bringing his France career to a close on his own terms. In 2026, Griezmann left Atlético Madrid after more than a decade with the club to join Orlando City in Major League Soccer.
He confirmed that he would not play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, telling reporters that he instead planned to watch the tournament from the stands wearing his old France jersey alongside his son, choosing to experience the competition as a proud supporter rather than as a player for the first time in more than a decade.
