2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema has returned to training after suffering an injury that ruled him out of the 2022 World Cup.
The France international was still listed in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when he was dealt a severe injury blow that ruled him out of the most coveted international sports events in history.
Karim Benzema sustained a thigh injury after he had traveled to Qatar with Les Bleus for the 2022 World Cup.
The Real Madrid star has been training with his club at Valdebebas training base since Saturday as he test-runs his fitness and readiness for the resumption of La Liga after the World Cup break.
The 33-year-old is said to be fully fit and has recovered from injury and will be ready for La Liga.
After his thigh injury was confirmed before the kickoff of the World Cup, Karim Benzema was expected to be ruled out of action for at least three weeks.
However, controversial reports had earlier surfaced that Karim Benzema may soon make a shock return to the squad despite the injury.
Meanwhile, French head coach Didier refused to remove Karim Benzema’s name from the World Cup list and has refused to call a replacement for the prolific striker.
Despite the absence of Karim Benzema, France have been flying high in the 2022 World Cup. They won their opening two games against Australia and Denmark before losing to Tunisia in the final group game.
Despite the loss, Didier Deschamps led France to another knockout stage as they hoped to defend the title they won four years ago in Russia.
In the round of 16 clash against Poland, the Le Bleus eased past the Robert Lewamdowski-led team to set up a quarterfinal clash against England.
Against the Three Lions of England, the team put up a classic and spectacular performance that saw the defending champions cruised to a 2-1 win.
Aurelien Tchouameni fired from outside the box to beat Jordan Pickford and set the game rolling with the curtain-raiser.
England pulled one back via a penalty after Arsenal right back Bukayo Saka was brought down in the box, and the referee awarded a penalty. Harry Kane converted it to equalize.
Olivier Giroud helped France regain the lead after he scored a thumping header from Antoine Griezmann’s assist. England had another penalty that would tie the game in a 2-2 draw, but Harry Kane fired over the crossbar.
France won 2-1 and set up a semifinal clash with African side Morocco. The winner of the second semifinal match will face Argentina in the finals, who demolished Croatia 3-0 to reach the final.
While Karim Benzema will be missed as an important team member of the Les Bleus, it is evident Didier Deschamps has successfully improvised for the Ballon d’Or winner in the squad. The likes of Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mabappe have lived up to expectations.
The striking duo have 9 goals between them, with Kylian topping the list of highest goal scorers with 5 goals, while Giroud has four goals.
Meanwhile, reports of Benzema’s injury seem to suggest the possibility of a return to the team, but Deschamps is reportedly not keen on having him back to the team.
Deschamps admitted that he has spoken to Karim Benzema after he left the training camp.
“I leave it to you if you want to have a debate about it. The thought hasn’t crossed my mind,” he said.
Karim Benzema had reportedly spent several days on holiday after Deschamps had ruled out a potential return.
Even without Karim Benzema, France is tipped as favorites to win the tournament, with the quality of players paraded by Deschamps in the tournament
If Les Bleus win the 2022 World Cup, they will become the first country to defend the trophy since 1962.
It has been confirmed that Karim Benzema would receive a World Cup winner’s medal should France triumph.
