From our special correspondent in Milan,

Maybe it had happened too quickly.

The return to Blue, the list of Didier Deschamps, the trident with Mbappé and Griezmann and, in the process, the Euro.

We had to readjust, score and win without delay, with all that involved in terms of pressure.

The Final Four of the League of Nations, won Sunday night by the Blues against Spain, confirmed a trend seen in the last matches of Euro 2021, namely that Karim Benzema just needed a little time to take back the keys to the truck.

And it makes sense: everything is slower in the national team.

Fewer matches than in a club, less time to refine the automatisms.

But this time, there it is.

KB19 is definitely the technical and human leader that France hoped for on their return and their equalizing goal, a mixture of genius and self-sacrifice, is there to prove it.

Fighting spirit

After the match, for which Benzema was voted best player, Didier Deschamps did not so much show off the striker's football qualities - we do not discuss the obvious - as his mental strength which trickles down to the rest of the group. “Karim is an essential player. He proved it in those two games. He has an obvious quality, he is in line with what he achieves in a club, he has the rage to win and it is something very communicative. "Should we see, in the immediate reaction to the opening of Oyarzabal's score, Benzema's paw, urging his comrades to revolt? There is in any case something abnormal in the French equalizer, says Luis Enrique. “When a team has just conceded a goal, normally it is injured, KO, it's even an interesting moment to put in a second.But Benzema put in an exceptional goal right after. "

Felicidades al @equipedefrance y a todos los aficionados al fútbol de Francia por el extraordinario título conseguido de #NationsLeague y enhorabuena a nuestro espectacular jugador @Benzema, Balón de Oro.

- Real Madrid CF (@realmadrid) October 10, 2021

It was already him, who, in the semi-final against Belgium, had sounded the revolt with an unbalanced pivot shot.

He who, for the good of the collective - perhaps also for his glory - had preferred to leave to Mbappé the task of transforming the equalizing penalty when the latter had not scored for six games in the Blues and remained on a failure in this exercise.

This two-act masterpiece is further proof of the climax of Benzema, already so good at Real Madrid.

“He's not the same player as in 2015, especially physically, you have to see how sharp he is,” added DD.

And humanly, his situation is no longer the same, he has matured.

He has been at the top level for a while and I am very happy that he can have moments of joy in the France team.

"

Pride

The coach knows better than anyone, having been one of those who weaned him from the national team, that Benzema has come back from afar and that he has fought hard at the club to deserve this unreal return.

And the person inevitably enjoys his first title with France.

Admittedly, it is "only" the League of Nations, but for him that means a lot.

“It's a very important title, I am very proud of my work.

Coming back with this team and winning that makes me very happy ”, he declared during his very brief stint in front of the press after the victory, apparently cut short by his plane which was waiting in double-file on the Tarmac of the Milan airport to bring him back to Madrid, where he will continue to carry his team on his shoulders.

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  • Soccer

  • Didier Deschamps

  • Sport

  • League of Nations

  • Spain

  • French team

  • Karim Benzema