A surprising decision.. Benzema retires from playing with France
Striker Karim Benzema announced on Monday the "end" of his career with his country, France, in a message he posted on his Twitter account the day after the Blues lost 2-4 to Argentina on penalties (original and extra time 3-3) in the final match of the World Cup Qatar. 2022.
Benzema, who today celebrates his thirty-fifth birthday and the owner of the Golden Ball for the best player in the world for the year 2022, wrote on his account, attached to his picture in the colors of the French national team: “I made the efforts and mistakes that I should have made to get to where I am today and I am proud of that! I wrote My story and ours have come to an end."
This announcement came after the final of the Qatar World Cup, which he had to withdraw from at the last minute before its start, after injuring his thigh in training, just three days before the first match for the Blues against Australia.
Since then, Benzema has exchanged messages of encouragement for the French national team on social networks, and more ambiguous ones, such as those posted on “Instagram” before the World Cup final, where he wrote: “I am not interested.”
This injury was just another chapter in Benzema's turbulent history with the French national team.
Despite his 97 international appearances for France (37 goals), the former Lyon and Real Madrid striker has never shone in the blue.
He won only one competition in his colors, which is the European Nations League in 2021, after he was excluded from the national team for a long time, from 2015 to 2021, due to his involvement in the sex tape of former international player Mathieu Valbuena.
He was given a one-year suspended sentence and a fine of €75,000 in first instance by the Criminal Court of Versailles for his involvement in attempted extortion in a case dating back to 2015. He appealed the sentence and was scheduled to be tried again on June 30 and July 1 by an appeals court. Versailles but eventually withdrew his appeal.
He returned to the ranks of the French national team, in a surprise to everyone, before the start of the European Cup 2021, which he ended with the elimination of the final price against Switzerland.
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