Karim Benzema unfollows France team-mates after ‘rejecting World Cup return’
French striker Karim Benzema has unfollowed almost all of his former international team-mates following a break down in his relationship with the national team set-up
The Real Madrid captain was forced to withdraw from the French squad on the eve of the tournament after picking up a hip injury, but was not replaced in the team by manager Didier Deschamps.
That decision led to rumours Benzema could return ahead of the final after he was seen playing in a friendly for his club earlier this month.
However, when that failed to materialise, he retired from international football and has now unfollowed all but five of his former France team-mates.
According to Marca, Benzema has carried out a cull on his social media accounts, with the only current French stars to survive being Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane and Marcus Thuram.
Notably, the 35-year-old also still follows Zinedine Zidane, who has been strongly linked with replacing Deschamps, and World Cup final villain Salt Bae.
After missing out on a return to the fold in Qatar, Benzema announced his retirement from the national team, writing: “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.”
He had scored 37 goals in 97 caps for his country and played at four major tournaments. However, he is said to have fallen out with Deschamps over his potential World Cup return.
Following Benzema’s retirement, footage has emerged from his national team recall in 2021 which appears to show some players giving him a frosty reception.
They include France captain Hugo Lloris, who can be seen giving Benzema a stern look during Deschamps’ welcome back speech.
The reports of an alleged fallout with the national team were supported by claims that Benzema had rejected an offer from French president Emmanuel Macron to fly out for the final on his personal private jet.
