Paris (AFP)

It is "the bomb of the Euro", "the blue genius invoked to enchant the French attack": the surprise return of Karim Benzema to the France team for the Euro excites the European press on Wednesday, certain that the Blues will be "stronger" with the Madrid striker.

Outside of France, it is obviously in Spain that the impact is the most important.

In nearly twelve years at Real Madrid, Benzema is recognized there as one of the greatest players in the Championship, and the media have never hidden their astonishment at his long sidelining.

Tuesday, after five and a half years of absence following his involvement in the sextape affair of his former team-mate Mathieu Valbuena, Benzema was finally recalled by coach Didier Deschamps, who passed the sponge on some of his comments.

In the Madrid press, Benzema therefore appears on the front page of the sports daily As dressed in a French jersey, his hand over his heart, with this title in large letters: "Pardoned", and this subtitle "He will compose a dream attack with Mbappé and Griezmann ".

For the newspaper, "with Benzema, Deschamps takes his best player" for the Euro, a striker "who has become over the seasons the leader of Real Madrid (...) an exceptional player, a nine and a half, a striker become a total player ".

- Benzema "deconfined" -

For Marca, Spain's best-selling daily, this ad is simply "the Euro bomb".

"Until today, no one would have bet that the French coach allows his arm to be twisted. But in the end, due to several circumstances, Deschamps called him back," the newspaper said, believing that Benzema has "purged" his "punishment" in the eyes of the French public.

The Catalan daily Sport emphasizes for its part that "the sporting aspect has eclipsed the extra-sports aspect" in the choice of coach Didier Deschamps, announced Tuesday evening.

In France, L'Equipe mentions the technician's "chef's surprise" in front page, after having written in capital letters "IL RETURN" on its website, a title in reference to the mythical front page of 2005 when it came back in Blue by Zinédine Zidane after a brief international eclipse.

The daily Le Parisien, the first to have announced the return of Benzema to the French team on Tuesday at midday, plays the card of the wink by launching that "Deschamps deconfine Benzema", on the day of the reopening of the terraces in France.

- The Blues are scary -

In the English press, the news is less talked about but The Athletic remarks that Deschamps "never had the reputation of being a follower of shock waves" and moreover "never gave the smallest indication that he would do something so unconventional, so unexpected, so revealing. "

"The sudden appearance of Karim Benzema, like a blue genius summoned to enchant the French attack, was the most obvious wild card to come out of his sleeve (... but) no one ever imagined he would be used" , continues the newspaper, stunned like most of the opinion in France.

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As for the Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy, he insisted on the "resounding coup de theater" where Tuttosport insisted on the "reverse" of Deschamps.

All the press, on the other hand, is unanimous in worrying about the level of the possible trident Benzema-Mbappé-Griezmann at the Euro (June 11-July 11).

Le Corriere dello Sport insists: "with him the French team is stronger", while in Belgium, La Derniere Heure / Les Sports affirms that "France is making Europe tremble a little more" and even emphasizes before a quartet Mpabbé-Griezman-Coman-Mbappé "which is already very scary".

"A trident with Griezmann, Benzema and Mbappé seems more than solid to make France, without a doubt, one of the big favorites for the final victory in the tournament", continues Sport in Spain.

And Marca confirms: "Only the phenomenon Mbappé has been able to compete with Karim in French football. His performance promises to be a precious help for a selection where the goals have not really rained these days."

gr-hap-alu-bnl-ama / jed

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