Griezmann and Lloris didn’t want Benzema on the French national team -report

When Real Madrid attacker Karim Benzema was forced to return to the Spanish capital with a muscle injury, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and playmaker Antoine Griezmann were happy as they thought Benzema’s presence could put their leadership in jeopardy, according to a report from French reporter Romain Molina.

Molina adds that Giroud and Benzema’s problems are a thing of the past now, with Giroud wanting to start alongside Benzema in the World Cup and not being part of the issue during this tournament.

Benzema found out in Madrid that his injury wasn’t as bad as the French Football Federation had told him, and the attacker wanted to stay in Doha all along so that he could recover for the Quarterfinals or even the Round of 16, per that same report. However, the French Football Federation and coach Didier Deschamps never considered Benzema’s return to the squad so that Lloris and Griezmann could lead the team.

Molina’s report concludes by saying that some people inside the French Football Federation felt like they could use Benzema as a scapegoat if anything went wrong during the 2021 UEFA Euro, as it was his first tournament with Les Bleus in quite a while and a new figure inside the dressing room who conquered the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Benzema decided to retire from International football this Monday and it’s clear that this will be a good decision for him. Apparently, Benzema’s decision could’ve been different had he felt like Deschamps was going to leave the squad, with Zidane as the potential successor. However, Deschamps appears ready to stay.

The way Benzema has been treated in his own country is unreasonable, so putting his career in France to an end should definitely help him from a psychological standpoint during his next few months in Real Madrid.