Representative: 'Benzema is strong enough to play from the 1/8 round of the World Cup'

Benzema had a problem and missed a training session in Qatar on November 19 - two days before the 2022 World Cup kicks off. He was later determined to have injured his left quadriceps thigh muscle and needed more than three weeks to recover. On the evening of the same day, the French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed that Benzema was removed from the list for the 2022 World Cup after an exchange between the striker and doctors Franck Le Gall and Deschamps.

But on December 26, Benzema's agent, Karim Djaziri, posted a video diagnosing the injury the 35-year-old striker suffered before the 2022 World Cup, with a message aimed at Deschamps and FFF. "I consulted with three experts. They all confirmed that Benzema could be fit enough to play from the round of 16, or at least enough to sit on the bench. So why was Benzema required. leaving the team so early?", Djaziri wrote.

Spanish newspaper Marca also reported similar information, that Benzema recovered very quickly after leaving the French headquarters in Qatar on December 19 to return to Madrid for treatment. England only needs one more week to practice normally and then reach the best condition from December 4 - the day France meets Poland in the 1/8 round of the World Cup 2022.

On December 15, three days before France played Argentina in the final, Benzema took the field and played the first half of the practice match between Real Madrid and Leganes.

Like many previously published information, the Spanish newspaper AS on December 26 said that Benzema's removal from the French team just before the 2022 World Cup was the result of internal conflicts. Strikers Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, captain goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and even Paul Pogba - who did not attend the 2022 World Cup due to injury - did not like Benzema's presence in the team.

According to AS, Griezmann feels that too much news on social networks is related to Benzema, and he himself is not reported in the process of preparing for the 2022 World Cup. The 31-year-old striker is "worried" about being inferior before Benzema on social media, and was planning to hold a closed meeting with the French Football Federation (FFF) to complain about this issue. Giroud, Lloris, Pogba "expressed doubts" about the negative impact and role of Benzema in the French dressing room.

French newspaper L'Équipe once published similar information, saying that some players did not like Benzema because of his attitude and behavior in the past. The 2022 Golden Ball was a controversial name in the French team under Didier Deschamps. He was banned from recruitment by Deschamps and FFF for 6 years for participating in the use of sex clips to blackmail teammate Mathieu Valbuena. Therefore, this striker did not participate in the team shirt that finished second at Euro 2016 and won the 2018 World Cup.

Because coach Didier Deschamps did not call for a replacement, Benzema was still on the French team's registration list with FIFA and could play in the 2022 World Cup final. However, Benzema refused the invitation of the FFF and French President Emmanuel Macron, to play as well as attend the match at Lusail.

The day after the final, Benzema announced his retirement from the national team. In his career, he only attended Euro 2008, 2012, World Cup 2014, and closed his international career with 37 goals in 97 matches for France. Benzema also unfollowed most of his former France teammates on Instagram, and now only follows Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane, Marcus Thuram.