• In a text published on his social networks, Karim Benzema seems to announce the end of his career with the France team.

  • Injured, the Real Madrid striker could not play in the World Cup in Qatar.

  • The epilogue of a thwarted relationship between the former Lyonnais and the Blues.

Fue bonito mientras duró

.

Since Karim Benzema decided, on his 35th birthday, to focus now on Real Madrid, there is no better Spanish expression to describe the passage of the former Lyonnais to the France team.

Yes, Karim, we had a good time while it lasted.

"I wrote my story and ours ends," wrote the Madrid striker on his social networks on Monday, accompanied by a photo of him wearing No. 19 of the Blues.

Far from 9 or 10, which he wore in Lyon, Real Madrid or in the France team, Karim Benzema had taken this number before Euro 2021, five and a half years after his last call with Didier Deschamps.

Five and a half years away from the tricolor jersey, "for the exemplarity and preservation of the group", then justified Didier Deschamps.

The child of Bron had been set aside by the coach and the president of the FFF, Noël Le Graët, when he was suspected of having participated in an attempt to blackmail his former teammate with the Blues, Mathieu Valbuena.


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 pic.twitter.com/7LYEzbpHEs

— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) December 19, 2022

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The sequence of the lose

Since a first selection (and a first goal) against Austria in 2007, Karim Benzema's path with the Blues has never been a long straight line without pitfalls.

Worse, there were hairpin bends, forbidden directions, ground movements which prevented him from writing his story in Blues.

Like his non-selection for the 2010 World Cup by Raymond Domenech, which still allowed him not to appear on the Knysna blacklist.

Like, too, his long period of scarcity in front of goals in 2013: 1224 minutes (and 58 shots spinning everywhere except in the goals), after a complicated Euro 2012.

Like this strike on the left side, repelled by Manuel Neuer, not allowing the Blues to qualify for the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.



Only one World Cup played

This World Cup across the Atlantic will remain the only contested by Karim Benzema in fifteen years of international career.

Far from Russia, in 2018, for non-sporting reasons, he was nevertheless to be part of the epic concluded cruelly on Sunday evening, in Qatar, against Argentina.

Except that the glitches of health came to get involved.

A tear in the quadriceps, a slow recovery process, disagreements with the medical staff, according to

L'Equipe

, and a story that ends badly.

While he seemed to want to get treatment in Qatar, and stay with the selection to, why not, come back during the last matches of the tournament, Karim Benzema is finally, still according to the daily, forced to return home, on the sly, at the small morning, without even being able to greet his teammates.

The very people with whom he had nevertheless begun to recreate a story, in the summer of 2021, after his return to the selection, five and a half years later, therefore.

“Coming back to this team and winning makes me happy”

Called surprise for the Euro, causing a crisis of excitement in the country, then busier looking for which pharmacy to find surgical masks, Karim Benzema had started slowly, before scoring two doubles against Portugal and Switzerland, provoking a rise in the birth rate in France, the fall in the price of gasoline, the lowering of the legal retirement age.

In short, everything was fine in the best of all possible worlds, before these devilish Swiss took us out of the tournament.

"Nothing is ever easy, we continue to fight to prepare for the future and come back even stronger," Benzema reacted.

Stronger, Karim Benzema was stronger, just like the Blues, during the Final Four of the League of Nations in the fall of 2021. After a first comeback against the Belgians, punctuated by an achievement, the Nueve had scored a crazy goal whose he has the secret against Spain.

A majestic curling strike from the corner of the penalty area that put the Blues on the road to the title.



Even more ambitious after the League of Nations

We then thought that, yes, finally, it was finally here to last between Karim Benzema and the France team.

“I have been very proud of my work for a long time, explained the one who would become the 2022 Ballon d'Or. Coming back to this team and winning makes me happy.

This title gives me even more ambitions for the future with this team.

Because she has great potential.

Everything seemed to indicate that the World Cup in Qatar would therefore be the happy epilogue of this romance.

It was, but not as we had hoped.

Not as the France team had hoped.

Not as Karim Benzema had hoped, of course.

But it concludes fifteen years of a unique relationship between one of the best players of his generation and his national team.

A way, perhaps, to take the lead so as not to suffer the affront of a new ostracism on the part of the tricolor staff, undoubtedly led to rebuild around the offensive succession revealed in Qatar.



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2022 World Cup: “Our story is coming to an end”… Karim Benzema announces his international retirement (well, it seems)

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  • World Cup 2022

  • Qatar

  • Soccer

  • France football team

  • Karim Benzema

  • Sport