Reports have emerged from Karim Benzema's retirement from the France team, with tension in the squad over his possible return to the side.
After winning the Ballon Do'r for his standout performances for Real Madrid in their Champions League triumph, Karim Benzema was set to be a key part of France's World Cup defence in Qatar.
However, due to injuries, it's been a stop start season for Karim Benzema, with an injury on the eve of the tournament ruling him out of the action.
Despite the absence of Benzema, the goals of Kylian Mbappe and Oliver Giroud meant they didn't miss the Real Madrid striker. There was reports of him returning to the side for the final after playing in a friendly for Carlo Ancelotti's side, but he reportedly rejected the opportunity after falling out with Didier Deschamps.
The fallout has continued from Benzema's retirement, with Spanish outlet AS reporting that Antoine Griezmann was unhappy with the amount of social media coverage spent on Karim Benzema in the build up to the tournament.
Benzema's Relationship With France
Goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris was among those to 'express doubt' in Karim Benzema's role in the squad, alongside Giroud and former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, who also missed the tournament through injury.
As of now, Benzema does not follow those players on Instagram. He made his feelings clear on social media of the scandal, posting a selfie with the caption "I'm not interested", leading fans to believe he would not accept a late call-up for the final.
Benzema's relationship with the national team has been far from straight forward. Off the field issues have seen him miss out on major tournaments, including their 2018 World Cup triumph in Russia.
He returned to the french side for EURO 2020, where he scored four goals. Footage has now emerged of him being reintroduced to the side, with some very different reactions among the players.
« Oui. Lloris & Griezmann n’ont jamais accepté le retour de Benzema. Faut arrêter d’opposer Benzema et Giroud »
Romain Molina ne nous apprend rien
Regardez juste le visage des 2 protagonistes & leur attitude sur cette vidéo qd Deschamps parle de Karim
Oui je suis profiler🔍 pic.twitter.com/YmKsEDeo94— NC (@NC_H_) December 19, 2022
It's unclear what the future holds for Didier Deschamps when it comes to his future as manager, with Zinedine Zidane reportedly interested in the job should Deschamps resign.
However, Benzema has not wait for the outcome, and has taken to decision to end his international career.
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