The year of Benzema: from ecstasy in Chamartín to the "contempt" of Deschamps

• Moments 2022 (I) Sergio Scariolo against all logic: the most difficult yet for the son of teachers

«

...».

The ironic phrase was said by

to

's medical services determined that the

striker's physical problems

forced him to say goodbye to the

.

World of him.

What should be the closure of an unforgettable year.

Olympus

.

After winning

, the

League ,

Cup ,

,

,

and

with Madrid, his return to the World Cup after

and the defeat in the

was seen as a sigh of relief for his career and his legacy in

.

But that all changed at Doha's

Stadium on November 19.

From heaven to hell

.

That day, while the French team was preparing their debut in

, Benzema withdrew from training complaining of discomfort in the quadriceps of his left leg.

After the tests carried out at the

clinic , the French Federation doctor,

, did not hesitate: he was missing the World Cup.

"

" he assured.

There began a series of controversies that still have their echo today, December 22, already with

and with

-up in the world after losing to Argentina.

Did

?

Would the Gauls have won with him on the field?

"I could have played from the quarterfinals"

"He could have played the quarterfinals, the

and, without a doubt and in perfect condition, the final," they still defend in Benzema's close circle.

Those

that Le Gall was talking about came to an end on

, one day after the

quarterfinal and one day after

with Madrid.

He also did it after spending a few days on

.

"He could have come back even earlier," they insist.

In Madrid, between the joy of having their captain and the anger at the "

", they say, of

and his Federation, they saw a

" during the week of December 12 to 18, in the the semifinals and the final of the World Cup were held.

"

," Deschamps admitted the day Benzema left.

The coach

in his place and left the call to 25 players, entrusting everything to the backbone to which he has always clung, the one that begins with

and ends with

as leaders of the group during his time as coach.

A decision that in Karim's circle served to confirm suspicions: he did not love him.

"

this year?" they ask themselves in Valdebebas, where these days they have seen Benzema "like a shot."

The Frenchman, who discovered when he arrived in Madrid that

As if to abandon a World Cup, he is silent in public but leaves hints when he can: "

", "I have too much dignity" or "I am no longer interested", he has written during these weeks on his social networks.

Renewal until 2024

Benzema ends the year of his life with a summary of what his career has been.

Elevated to the

but with chiaroscuro in his country.

Criticized and separated by the '

', in 2022 he has reconciled him with his own, becoming the fifth Frenchman to win the Ballon d'Or, the first since

in

.

A trophy worked with pick and shovel in the constant

that Chamartín experienced last season.

He scored three goals in the comeback against

, two at

, one in extra time in the second leg against the English, two at the

against

and another in extra time on the second leg against

's team, again at the

.

In total,

in a single edition of the

, equaling

's record .

A hammer.

Now Benzema, at

and with a six-month contract with Madrid, angrily hurries his mini-preseason in Valdebebas before returning to the League, the Super Cup, the Club World Cup and the Champions League, his vital territory.

El Chamartín take the

for granted and are only waiting for the moment to sign and announce it.

That summer, about to turn 37, with

still more established in the white team and with the young

landing from Brazil, could be the end of his Real Madrid.

A goodbye of time, of legend.

Meanwhile, Benzema, like his idol

, whom he honored at the Ballon d'Or gala, remains with

(All eyes on me), as the New York rapper's album said.

The eyes of Madrid, full of emotion and illusion, and the

, between mistrust and anger for a decade of football wasted due to everyone's bad decisions.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• Cristiano Ronaldo

• Rodrygo Goes

• Real Madrid

• Karim Benzema