Karim Benzema's exclusion from Didier Deschamps' squad for a home Euros was the source of much contention back in France, and sparked a heated racial argument (well, 'via-the-papers' beef) between the national team's boss and Eric Cantona.
Benzema's alleged arse-chancery in a sex-tape scandal involving former international teammate Mathieu Valbuena ultimately caused him to miss a tournament he was highly touted to tear up, and Deschamps - though taken to task by many in his native land - was somewhat vindicated in his disciplinarian stance by Olivier Giroud's opening goal against Romania on Friday night.
Benzema, who has netted 27 goals in his 81 internationals, cut a tragic figure in an Instagram post wishing his team well ahead of the tournament opener, presumably banishing his mates temporarily in an attempt to find that look of true footballing isolation.
Of course, if he was really that alone, then who took the picture? Unless Benzema set up a tripod of some description and photographed himself, which would be a new level of tragedy altogether.
His message to his national team was a simple 'good luck', but the picture was quite conspicuously designed to speak about 998 more words, on a week where the FFF president backed his return to the French set-up.
