Karim Benzema Ends Tumultuous Relationship With France

Following France crashing out of the world cup in a loss in the final to Argentina and his absence from the 2022 World Cup due to injury, Karim Benzema looks to have announced his retirement from international competition.

The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner was injured before the World Cup even started, despite being chosen for Didier Deschamps’ World Cup roster and traveling to Qatar with the national team.

Karim Benzema had to watch from the side as Les Bleus beat Argentina in the World Cup final after initially leaving the tournament early and losing on penalties. Since then, he has appeared to confirm his worldwide retirement on social media.

In the tweet he released on the internet, it read:

“I made the effort and the mistakes it took to be where I am today and I’m proud of it! I have written my story and ours is ending,” the post read.

In contrast, Karim Benzema has had a rocky relationship with the French national team under Deschamps. He made his senior debut in 2007 and frequently represented France in important competitions before being passed over for the 2016 Euros and the 2018 World Cup.

However, in 2021, he rejoined the national team after an almost six-year absence due to a blackmail case involving teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

Benzema’s retirement after 97 appearances and 37 goals for Les Bleus, however, seems to have put an end to that chapter permanently. The forward was supposed to recuperate from his injury in time for the championship game, but he did not rejoin the team.

The 35-year-primary old’s focus will now be on getting his 2022–23 season with Real Madrid back on track after a challenging, injury-riddled start because he had the majority of the World Cup to recuperate from an injury.