Benzema missed the World Cup
Benzema joined the French team at Clairefontaine headquarters early last week and was close to the date of moving to Qatar to be able to practice again. However, the 34-year-old striker had problems and had to skip a training session in the Middle East. Soon after, Benzema went to a hospital in Doha for an MRI scan, and it was determined that he had injured his left quadriceps muscle and needed more than three weeks to recover.
On the evening of November 19, the French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed that Benzema was removed from the list for the 2022 World Cup after an exchange between the striker and doctor Franck Le Gall and coach Didier Deschamps. According to FIFA regulations, Deschamps can summon players from the preliminary list of 55 people to replace Benzema, within 24 hours before the match against Australia on November 22.
"I am very sad for Benzema, who has put great effort into this World Cup," Deschamps said. "However, I have full confidence in the current French team. We will do everything to face the big challenge at the World Cup." Before that, according to Get French Football News, the French medical team was still It's not clear what caused Benzema to struggle with two injuries at the same time, a hamstring problem and a knee strain.
When announcing the French squad for the 2022 World Cup on television on 9/11, Deschamps believed that Benzema would make a full recovery when he arrived in Qatar.
Benzema hasn't been at his best since October, and has featured less than half an hour in his last six club matches. The last time he played the full 90 minutes was in a 3-0 win at Elche in La Liga on October 19. This match, Benzema contributed a goal but was denied two goals because of offside.
For the first time since 1978, the current Ballon d'Or owner did not attend the World Cup. In his career, Benzema only attended the 2014 World Cup, where France lost 0-1 to Germany in the quarterfinals. Six years later, he was always excluded from the team because of the scandal with four other people blackmailing former teammate Mathieu Valbuena. From 2021, Benzema is called up again by Deschamps, attending the Euro and UEFA Nations League.
British newspaper Sportmail commented that Olivier Giroud was probably the main kick, after Benzema was crossed out. Giroud is in high form with nine goals in 18 games for Milan since the start of the season, including five in Serie A and six in the Champions League. The 36-year-old striker has also contributed 49 goals for France - the second most in the more than 100-year history of "Les Bleus" and only two goals behind Thierry Henry's record.
Against Benzema, France lost midfielders Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante, goalkeeper Mike Maignan, defender Presnel Kimpembe and striker Christopher Nkunku to long-term injuries. In addition, Raphael Varane had to practice separately when he joined the French team on November 14. The Man Utd midfielder burst into tears when he left the field early in the match against Chelsea on October 22 and has not been able to return to full training since. Varane is likely to sit out the opening match against Australia.
In Qatar 2022, Deschamps' teachers and students need to avoid going in the footsteps of the champions who are eliminated from the group stage of the next World Cup. This number includes France in 2002, Italy 2010, Spain 2014 and Germany 2018.
