After a five year absence, he’s back
Karim Benzema is expected to be included in Didier Deschamps’ squad for Euro 2020 after a five year absence from international football.
The Real Madrid man has not represented France since 2015 after a legal dispute during which he was accused of blackmailing his teammate, Mathieu Valbuena.
Since then, Olivier Giroud has led the line for France, helping them reach the Euro 2016 final and win the World Cup in 2018–despite not having a shot on target throughout the tournament.
Benzema’s return will of course bolster the French side’s attacking talent on the pitch, but could risk unsettling the camp, given some of his past comments. He once described Giroud as a go-kart in comparison to himself, a Formula 1 car.
Still, it’s a good job France don’t have any history of allowing internal beef to disrupt a tournament campaign. Hold on…
The rumours of Benzema’s return have been reported by both Le Parisien and L’Equipe, and journalist Julien Laurens has now ‘confirmed’ the news on Twitter.
A front three of Antoine Griezmann, Mbappé and Benzema just seems a bit unfair really, doesn’t it?
The official squad will be unveiled tonight on French television, with Kylian Mbappé set to appear on the broadcast.
Elsewhere in the squad, Spurs midfielder Tanguy Ndombele is set to miss out on a place, with his teammate Moussa Sissoko preferred by Deschamps.
