A few hours before the official start of the World Cup in Qatar, the bomb was going off: Karim Benzema, injured. The French striker for Real Madrid left training early and after a few minutes the French media were spreading the worst of omens. Tragic news that would end up being confirmed late at night: “Injured in his left quadriceps, the Real Madrid striker is forced to give up his participation in the World Cup. The entire team shares Karim's sadness and wishes him a speedy recovery," the French Federation announced in a statement.
A hard blow for the current Ballon d'Or winner who, just like Alexia Putellas this summer, will miss a World Cup in which he was destined to shine. “In my life I have never given up, but tonight I have to think about the team, as I have always done, so reason tells me to give my place to someone who can help our group to have a great World Cup. Thank you for all your messages of support. Allez les bleus!” The Real Madrid striker wrote on his social networks last night.
Benzema had already had physical problems since last October, when Real Madrid reported that he was suffering "muscular fatigue in the quadriceps of his left leg." An injury that made him come and go from the calls and for which he had trained outside the group since his arrival at the concentration with the French team. Yesterday, for the first time, the forward exercised with the rest of his teammates, but after a few minutes of work, the striker could not continue and he left the session limping visibly.
After ruling out his participation in the World Cup, Karim Benzema left Qatar this Sunday for Madrid, where he is scheduled to land around 1:30 p.m. Spanish time. The Frenchman returns to Spain with immense pain, because it was his second chance to shine in a World Cup, after having missed the one in Russia, where he was removed from the team due to accusations of complicity in blackmail.
After three and a half years of absence, the coach lifted his veto before the last Euro Cup, in which he began to reveal himself as an important figure in the team, in parallel to the great performances he was signing with Real Madrid.
It is not the first disappointment that Benzema would take in a World Cup. In South Africa in 2010, when at the age of 22 he was one of the most promising strikers in France and was already at Real Madrid, he was left out of the group because he was not the undisputed starter at his club, despite the fact that he had scored two goals in the phase classification.
The footballer did not hide his bitterness. Four years later, already with Deschamps on the bench, he signed a great performance in Brazil, where he was the undisputed starter, he scored three goals in the group stage but could not avoid the elimination of the Gauls in the quarterfinals against a launched Germany.
The following year the blackmail scandal broke out, which separated him from the team and left him out of the European Championship that France played on its territory. He returned in mid-2021, on the eve of another Euro Cup, the third he has played with France.
The coach, Didier Deschamps, lamented the significant loss his team has suffered: "I am extremely sad for Karim, who made this World Cup an important goal. Despite this new setback, I have full confidence in my group. We will do everything everything possible to face the immense challenge that awaits us. The coach had until 24 hours before France's debut (Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. against Australia) to decide whether to call another footballer to take the Real Madrid player's place but, finally, this Sunday he confirmed that he will not call anyone to replace Benzema.
For France, the absence of Benzema is another hard blow, after those of Ngolo Kanté and Paul Pogba before the concentration and those of Presnel Kimpembe and striker Chritophe Nkunku, already with the roster formed, who were replaced respectively by Axel Disasi and Kolo Muani.
