Benzema retires from France national team
"To get where I am today, I tried and made mistakes, and I am proud of my journey," Benzema wrote with a photo in the France shirt on Instagram on December 19 - the exact date. 35th birthday. "I wrote my story, and the story with the French team is over".
Benzema was on the list of 26 players for the 2022 World Cup and went to Qatar with the French team. But on November 19 - just three days before the match, he was determined to have a left quadriceps muscle injury and had to leave the team to return to Madrid for treatment. Because coach Didier Deschamps did not call for a replacement, Benzema is still on the French team's registration list with FIFA and can play in the final against Argentina. However, Benzema refused the invitation of the French Football Federation (FFF) and French President Emmanuel Macron, to play as well as attend the match in Lusail on December 18, despite having completely recovered from the injury.
According to Relevo - a sports news site in Madrid, Benzema feels Deschamps' decision to let him leave Qatar is "too hasty" as he still has time to recover before the 2022 World Cup ends. The striker has had no contact with Deschamps and his associates since leaving Qatar, and is also dissatisfied with the treatment of the FFF. Since returning to Madrid, he has "received no sign of support" from President Noel Le Graet or any other FFF members.
According to French newspaper L'Équipe, Benzema has been in conflict with Deschamps for a long time, when he did not mention the 54-year-old coach in his speech to receive the 2022 Ballon d'Or. This surprised Deschamps. Some French players are also said to dislike Benzema because of his attitude and behavior in the past. Benzema was a controversial name in the French team under Deschamps. He was banned from recruitment by Deschamps and FFF for 6 years for participating in the case of using sex clips to blackmail teammate Mathieu Valbuena. Therefore, this striker did not participate in the team shirt that finished second at Euro 2016 and won the 2018 World Cup.
Benzema himself, frustrated when he was constantly ignored, also antagonized Deschamps, accusing the teacher of bowing to political pressure to discriminate against him. Because of Benzema's words, the home of the French coach was attacked, his family's life was threatened for a long time. "Even to death I will not forgive Benzema," Deschamps once told Marca in January 2021. "He made my family suffer, my reputation was damaged. If I need to deal with him with words or fists, I am ready and accept all consequences."
But by Euro 2021, the tournament was postponed for a year due to Covid-19, Deschamps put aside the feud, discussed with the FFF and then called back to Benzema. He scored 4 goals, just behind Patrik Schick and Cristiano Ronaldo with the same five goals, although France lost to Switzerland from the 1/8 round. Benzema then scored in both matches, beating Belgium 3-2 in the semi-finals and Spain 2-1 in the final, and helped France win the 2021 UEFA Nations League.
Benzema made his first appearance for France in the match against Austria on March 28, 2007, when he replaced senior Djibril Cisse and then scored the only goal of the game after Samir Nasri's free kick. In his career, he only attended Euro 2008, 2012, World Cup 2014, and closed his international career with 37 goals in 97 matches for France.
