Karim Benzema, who was selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar but did not play a single game due to injury, announced his retirement from the French national team.

On the 19th (Korean time), Benzema posted on his Instagram, “I am proud that I have experienced a lot of effort and mistakes to become who I am today.” announced his intention to retire. Benzema made his national team debut in his last year in 2007, played 97 matches and scored 37 goals.

Benzema did not win the 2018 토토 World Cup in Russia as well as this World Cup in Qatar. He was not selected for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil due to a scandal involving the leak of a video of fellow French national teammate Mathieu Valbuena. He was subsequently able to make a comeback through last year’s European Football Championship (Euro 2020).

For this reason, Benzema has worked hard to prepare for this tournament, which will be his last World Cup. In the 2021-22 season, he led his team, Real Madrid, to victory in the UEFA Champions League. Thanks to this performance, he was honored with the 2022 Ballon d’Or. However, after he was called up to the national team, he suffered a thigh injury and could not achieve his dream of winning the World Cup. He remained in the national team and was rumored to return to the national team, saying that his physical condition improved, but in the end, he did not play a single game in the Qatar World Cup.

France cruised without Benzema, with Kylian Mbappe scoring 8 goals and winning the Golden Boot (top scorer). However, on the threshold of winning the championship, they lost to Argentina in a penalty shootout, and had to swallow regrets on the threshold of winning the championship.