Karim Benzema hints at international retirement through Twitter post
"I made the effort and the mistakes it took to be where I am today and I'm proud of it! I have written my story and ours is ending," the Real Madrid striker wrote on Twitter.
French striker Karim Benzema seemingly announced his retirement from international level just a day after France failed to win their 3rd World Cup crown.
Benzema had missed the World Cup through injury and all but confirmed that he has retired from international duty for France through Twitter on Monday, which is incidentally also the day of his 35th birthday.
“I made the effort and the mistakes it took to be where I am today and I’m proud of it! I have written my story and ours is ending,” the Real Madrid striker wrote on Twitter. Benzema has played 97 games, scored 37 goals and has 20 assists for France.
Before the Argentina vs France match, news broke that Benzema had reportedly rejected an invitation from Emmanuel Macron to attend the World Cup final.
Benzema had taken to Instagram late Friday and posted a picture of himself next to the words: “I’m not interested.” It wasn’t immediately obvious what the context was around his post.
Benzema was recently involved in a friendly for Real Madrid against CD Leganes. He marked his return on the pitch for 30 minutes in a 1-1 draw of two halves of 30. Also in action were Toni Kross and David Alaba. The 34-year-old French striker also wore the armband for the Los Blancos.
The striker had enjoyed a great year at club level playing a pivotal part in Los Blancos’ La Liga and Champions League triumphs which led him to his first Ballon d’Or award this year.
The Real Madrid striker was France’s top scorer at the 2014 World Cup but did not play in the country’s victorious 2018 World Cup campaign because he was still exiled from the national team for his alleged role in a sex-tape scandal with then-France teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
The fallout from that scandal led to a dramatic fall from grace for Benzema. He faced a nationwide deluge of vitriol and scathing criticism, including on the political level. It led to a long exclusion from the national team from October 2015 until his recall by Deschamps in May last year.
