Karim Benzema has shocked the world by announcing his retirement from international football on the same day he celebrates his 35th birthday. The Real Madrid captain turns 35 years today and after missing out on the FIFA World Cup 2022, he has decided to hang his boot at the international level.
Benzema is in the form of his life and is the current holder of the Ballon d’Or trophy. He was supposed to lead France in the World Cup 2022 along with Mbappe but an injury ruled him out of the tournament.
BREAKING: France footballer Karim Benzema announces his retirement from international football
Karim Benzema wrote on Twitter: “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. #Nueve”
Benzema scored 37 goals in 97 appearances for France between 2007–2022. He has a love-hate affair with France as he was absent from the national team from 2015 to 2021 due to an alleged blackmail attempt against France teammate Mathieu Valbuena, over a sex tape reportedly showing Valbuena and his partner.
However, later he was dismissed from the charges and was called to the France national team for the Euro 2020, where France was defeated by Switzerland in the Round of 16. Later, Karim Benzema won the UEFA Nations League 2021 with France and he will also get a runners-up medal as France was beaten by Argentina in the World Cup 2022 final.
According to rumours, the relationship between Benzema and France manager Didier Deschamps is completely broken. Benzema wanted to see how his injury heals and take part from the knockout stage of the World Cup 2022, as we already saw the same thing for Neymar with Brazil, who was injured in the very first game of the tournament but played from the Round of 16.
However, the French management decided to send Benzema home and also didn’t name a replacement. As expected, Benzema was fully fit in a week’s time but wasn’t given the chance to play in the World Cup 2022 despite being the best player in the world right now (Benzema won the Ballon d’Or 2022 which clearly suggests he is the best right now). This might have infuriated Benzema and ultimately made him call the curtains on his international career!
