Antoine Griezmann and Karim Benzema almost sparked ‘executive meeting’

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Karim Benzema’s presence in the France squad at the World Cup almost sparked a high-level emergency meeting after tensions flared between the Real Madrid striker and Antoine Griezmann, according to reports. Benzema ultimately ended up missing every game in Qatar following a pre-tournament injury before retiring from international duty in the aftermath of France’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Argentina in the final.

Benzema reportedly turned down the opportunity to be with his France team-mates for the final and was said to have fallen out with Didier Deschamps over the course of the tournament, which may well have influenced his recent decision to step back from international football. It was not just Deschamps who was left frustrated by Benzema, though, with the Real Madrid striker also falling foul of Griezmann before the World Cup had even started.

Griezmann was unhappy with the level of coverage given to Benzema during the build-up to the tournament and felt that the 35-year-old was stealing the limelight from him and his fellow players, according to AS. It is said that Griezmann thought he should have enjoyed a greater level of recognition on social media, which led to his relationship with Benzema souring before he was unfollowed by the latter on Instagram.

Benzema went on to unfollow all but five of his France team-mates, including skipper Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud, who are both said to have ‘expressed doubts’ over the forward’s impact on the side in Qatar. Paul Pogba was also believed to have grown frustrated with Benzema despite not being picked in the World Cup squad due to the injury problems that have plagued his campaign to date.

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It remains to be seen whether Benzema would consider a return to international duty if Deschamps leaves his role in the dugout over the coming weeks, with Zinedine Zidane having been widely tipped to replace him if a change is made in the near future. However, any potential comeback would likely see a renewal of hostilities with Griezmann and many of his fellow squad members, who are still believed to be upset over the controversial nature of his inclusion in Qatar.

Benzema ended his international career with a tally of 37 goals in 97 appearances for France, who he represented at Euro 2008, Euro 2012 and the World Cup in 2014. He was left out of the squad in 2010 by then-manager Raymond Domenech before spending five years out of international contention due to his involvement in an alleged sex scandal, although he returned to the fold at Euro 2020 last summer.

He went on to win the Nations League with France before earning a spot in their squad for this year’s World Cup, but his pre-tournament injury meant that he did not play a single minute for Les Bleus in Qatar. He was initially tipped to emerge as one of the standout players for his side after a hugely impressive year at club level with Real Madrid, which saw him win his first Ballon d’Or last month.

Benzema then confirmed his retirement from the national team with a brief statement on Instagram, in which he insisted that he was proud of his achievements with France over the course of his career. He wrote: “I made the effort and mistakes it took to be where I am today and I’m proud of it! I wrote my story and ours ends.”

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