defeat in the final
The French national football team was hit hard when they lost to Argentina in the World Cup final after a dramatic penalty shootout match (2-2 in normal, 3-3 in extra time).
Arriving in Qatar as current world champions, the Tricolors did not initially seem like the main favourites. This was due to failures on the ground (including failure at Euro 2020) and internal contradictions.
The most pleasant stories and even scandals did not bother the two-time world champion during the tournament, and despite the strong football of the team and a solid result, it flared up with renewed vigor after the tournament.
passion for benzema
The tournament turned into a real drama for Karim Benzema. The veteran striker, who took the Ballon d’Or this year, recovered from muscle injuries in the first half of the club’s season and then seemed on the alert by missing Real Madrid games. According to the Spanish media, the “royal club” were not very happy with this.
And finally, Benzema never played in the World Cup. During the preparations for the tournament, the striker was injured once again, and Didier Deschamps sent him to Real Madrid.
At the same time, the player himself did not understand the decision of the head coach, who actually sent the star to the striker, but in practice he did not receive anyone in return, although this was possible. At the same time, Benzema himself wanted to stay in the national team, get treatment and possibly pack up for the decisive matches of the tournament.
The 35-year-old striker announced his retirement from the national team following the end of the World Cup.
At the same time, the striker’s environment blames the coach for the damage itself because Benzema trained at maximum intensity the day before he took the damage.
Interestingly, on the way to the national team, a misunderstanding arose between the owner of the Golden Ball and the medical staff of the tricolors. The medical staff wanted to do an in-depth medical examination, but the attacker refused, as he “knowledges his body and all his problems fully”.
Benzema did not perform at the World Cup one way or another, and was probably very offended because he even declined French President Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to attend the 2022 World Cup final as a spectator.
Deschamps or Zidane
Deschamps himself was excited enough without Benzema. The mentor of the French team came to the World Cup under great pressure. He never said he wanted to finish his job with the national team, but he would not be forgiven for the second failed major tournament in a row. But there was also a failed League of Nations.
Everything was made worse by the presence of a very specific and obvious and also very powerful successor. It is, of course, Zinedine Zidane.
The former coach of Real Madrid, who left the club two years ago, has not worked anywhere else, despite numerous rumors. According to media reports, Zizou is waiting for an invitation from the national team that he dreams of leading.
But after Tricolor reached the finals in Qatar and the championship approached, the ball seemed to be on Deschamps’s side.
According to the same L’Equipe, the current head coach of the national team is ready to extend the contract with the French Football Federation (FFF), but will do so only if the new contract is calculated before the end of the World Cup – 2026, and until the end of the Euro – 2024.
In January, Deschamps will meet with FFF President Noel Le Gré, and then everything will become clear.
At the same time, Zidane’s arrival in the national team will likely change the decision of Benzema, who has always treated the specialist with great respect and enjoyed working with him at Real Madrid. And both.
Is he (Benzema) the best striker in French football history? Everyone has their favorite player. Some will say it’s Papin with his extraordinary goals, others will talk about Platini, ”Zizou said in a long recent interview.
Karim for me. Yes, because I was with him and I know his worth. It deserves a very high rating. I wish him to break records and shine on the field for a long time in Madrid and the French team. It can go even higher.”
Lloris and Griezmann vs.
The contradictions in the camp of the French team do not end there. The ubiquitous media reported that not everyone was happy with Benzema’s return to the national team, which took place five years after the Mathieu Valbuena scandal, before the European Championship in 2020.
Therefore, the main goalkeeper and team captain Hugo Lloris and key fielder, defender Antoine Griezmann did not express any enthusiasm.
And now there’s even a video where the entire team is sitting at a long table and Deschamps is giving a speech on the occasion of Benzema’s return, and Lloris and Griezmann are there with sullen faces, clearly not feeling happy.
True, Lloris could end his career in the national team after losing to Argentina in the final of the 2022 World Cup. If that happens, the top scorer of the World Cup and the main star of the “tricolor” Kylian Mbappe should be the captain. He is very friendly with Benzema.
Other scandals
And even this discord in the team did not end. For example, during the tournament, after the first game, Benjamin Pavard switched from the start to a dead substitute and never appeared on the field again.
The Bayern defender, who brilliantly held the world forum in Russia four years ago and even scored the best goal of the tournament (in the 1/8 final against Argentina, by the way), has already made a big mistake against Australia. Not chasing your player for some reason at the 9th minute and allowing them to open an account.
France won, but the player underreacted to the coaching’s allegations and slammed Deschamps down. And although the same Lloris and Olivier Giroud (another “friend of Benzema”) stood up for Pavard, the defender no longer played.
He also sat on the bench and made sarcastic comments that his teammates didn’t like. Especially during the final. Also, other players of the national team believe that it was Pavard who leaked information from the locker room to his familiar journalist.
After losing the penalty shootout, black footballers Kingsley Coman and Aurélien Tchouameni not scoring a goal in France exposed racism on social networks. Both eventually turned off the ability for subscribers to comment on their posts. Randal Colo-Mouani did the same, commuting his sentence.