Real Madrid and France striker Karim Benzema has announced his retirement from the national team in the wake of the 2022 World Cup.
The 35-year-old was memorably exiled from the national team between 2015 and 2021 before being recalled by Didier Deschamps for Euro 2020 last year.
The first half of Benzema's 2022-23 campaign was disrupted by injuries, but he nevertheless forced his way into Deschamps's squad for the defence of their World Cup in Qatar.
The former Lyon starlet briefly made a return to team training with Les Bleus, but he picked up a fresh thigh injury soon after and was ruled out of the tournament.
Deschamps did not call up a replacement for Benzema, who was given a three-week recovery timeline and had returned to full training with Real Madrid before the final against Argentina.
© Reuters
Having elected not to replace the 35-year-old, Deschamps would have been able to select Benzema for the final, but the France boss decided against recalling the Ballon d'Or winner.
France suffered a 4-2 defeat to Argentina on penalties following a 3-3 draw in the absence of Benzema, who allegedly experienced another falling-out with Bleus chiefs after he was snubbed for a final appearance.
Benzema allegedly wanted to remain with the squad in Qatar to see how his injury evolved, but Deschamps and team doctor Franck le Gall instead chose to send the striker back to Madrid.
Deschamps's and Le Gall's decision supposedly angered Benzema, who did not travel to Qatar to watch the 2018 champions in action in Sunday's final, and he has now confirmed his international retirement.
"I made the effort and mistakes it took to be where I am today and I'm proud of it! I wrote my story and ours ends," the Frenchman wrote on social media.
During his international career, Benzema played 97 senior games for France, scoring 37 goals and setting up 20 more for Les Bleus despite his six-year inactive period.
The former Lyon starlet made his debut for Les Bleus in a 2007 friendly against Austria, scoring the winner in that 1-0 triumph, and he was later selected for their Euro 2008 campaign.
Benzema was not called up to France's 2010 World Cup squad after he was alleged to have engaged in sexual activity with a 16-year-old prostitute, although Raymond Domenech insisted that the decision was performance-related, and the charges against him were dropped in 2014.
The striker represented France at Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup before being caught up in another off-field scandal, having been accused of conspiring to blackmail Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape, and he was found guilty in November 2021.
Benzema's only major honour with France came in the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League and retires as France's fifth-highest male goalscorer of all time behind Olivier Giroud, Thierry Henry, Antoine Griezmann and Michel Platini.
Ben Knapton
