France’s World Cup title defense is off to a very unfortunate start.
Julien Laurens of ESPN reported on Saturday that French forward Karim Benzema suffered a left thigh injury during a training session on the eve of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. An MRI revealed that Benzema has a muscle tear that will keep him out for three weeks. As a result, the 34-year-old is now set to miss the entire tournament.
Benzema confirmed the news in a post to his Instagram page, saying that he needed to give up his spot on the World Cup team to a healthier player.
Benzema, who stars at the club level for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, is probably the best pure goal-scorer on France’s roster. He recently won the 2022 Ballon d’Or award (presented every year to the best footballer in the world) and was France’s leading scorer at the 2014 World Cup.
France won it all during the last World Cup in Russia in 2018, but Benzema was left off the roster due to an off-field scandal. This time around, he was expected to start up front for France alongside 23-year-old phenom Kylian Mbappe but will instead miss the World Cup for a second consecutive time. In Benzema’s absence, France may insert another true striker like Olivier Giroud into the starting lineup or a winger like Ousmane Dembele while Mbappe moves into a more central position.
France is set to play their first group stage match of the World Cup against Australia on Tuesday.
