‘There is only one truth and he knows it well’

France coach Didier Deschamps didn’t mince words about Karim Benzema. In an interview with the French newspaper Le Parisien, the coach gave his version of the striker’s cut from the squad even before the start of the World Cup in Qatar and stated that the decision was entirely the 35-year-old’s.

During the interview, Deschamps was asked if Karim should have stayed a few more days until he had a firmer diagnosis of his injury, as the striker was cut from the national team and soon returned to training at Real Madrid.

“It’s an insult to say that. There is only one truth and Karim knows it well. Karim joined on 14 November after a period of semi-inactivity at his club. Following an individualized program, the return to collective training was postponed. I wasn’t 100% sure I could start the first game against Australia. When Karim was injured, our doctor took him to the Aspetar clinic for an MRI scan. Karim sent the results to his doctor in Madrid, who also gave him his opinion. I found Karim in his room with our doctor, who came over to give me the MRI report,” Deschamps said.

— Karim is upset because this World Cup meant a lot to him. At best, his return to training could not happen before December 10th. We stayed together for about twenty minutes. When I leave, I tell him: ‘Karim, don’t be in a hurry’. You organize your return with the team manager. When I wake up, I realize he’s gone. It’s his decision, he won’t tell you otherwise, I understand and respect that – he added.

Didier Deschamps said that there was no discomfort from the rest of the players with Benzema and that no teammate was happy with his departure. The coach also revealed that he called the Real Madrid striker after his contract renewal with France and the player revealed that he retired from the French national team.

— I called him after my contract was renewed. We had a long talk. I called him again more recently to find out his predisposition for the upcoming squads and he confirmed his decision to end his international career. Don’t ask me about his arguments. It will be up to him to communicate them or not – he concluded.

On social media, Benzema made a point of responding to the French coach with a tone of irony after the statements. The Real Madrid player published two stories on Instagram and one of them, with a print of the Deschamps interview. The player posted the image with the words ‘What audacity’ with a clown emoji. In the other, the number 9 says: ‘Sacred, Didier’, again with a clown face.