8:22 p.m., Tuesday, May 18. Didier Deschamps opens a new chapter in the Benzema saga for the French team by formalizing the great return of the Madrid star in the list of 26 players who will participate in the next Euro football, from June 11 to July 11.
The coach has decided to bury the hatchet since the “sextape” affair – the trial of Karim Benzema will take place in October – by giving the center-forward a second chance.
After five and a half years of absence, his reinstatement in the group is already salivating football fans, eager to see him evolve with Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann at the forefront of the attack.
He will certainly be expected at the turn from the start of the European Championship, he who struggled to be decisive in the blue jersey in major international competitions.
On October 8, 2015, the date of his last selection for the French team, for a match against Armenia won 4-0, the Madrilenian had 27 goals to his name in the blue jersey, four small achievements behind Zinédine Zidane. He was then 28 years old.
From the arrival of Didier Deschamps at the head of the France team in 2012, Karim Benzema had quickly gained the confidence of the coach, with a tenure rate of over 80%. Because the Madrilenian does not only score goals, he also delivers assists. So many qualities that make him a “total striker”, very appreciated in contemporary football.
At 33, the native of Bron, in the metropolis of Lyon, could come back strong in the blue jersey this summer as his performances at Real Madrid have impressed for three years.
Karim Benzema will return to the group on May 26, when the France team is expected at Clairefontaine for a preparation camp, before a first friendly test on June 2 against Wales in Nice.