Karim Benzema has announced his retirement from international football on his 35th birthday, just a day after France suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday.
The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner missed the tournament in Qatar with a thigh injury and later declined an invite from French president Emmanuel Macron to attend Sunday’s final at Lusail Stadium.
“I’ve made the efforts and mistakes that were necessary for me to be where I am today and I’m proud of it! I’ve written my story and ours comes to an end,” Benzema said in a post on Instagram on Monday.
The last time France overcame a 0-2 was against Belgium, when Benzema inspired a comeback with Mbappé & Theo scoring to make it 3-2. #rmalive pic.twitter.com/itTkzkLL4k
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) December 18, 2022
France really went into a World Cup without Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, Christopher Nkunku, N’Golo Kanté, Lucas Hernandez, Mike Maignan and Presnel Kimpembe and still came within two penalties of winning it all…they’re going to be a problem for a while.
— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) December 18, 2022
