Karim Benzema, whose participation in the 2022 FIFA World Cup was initially ruled out due to injury, has a chance to make a remarkable comeback for France during the competition.
Didier Deschamps’ team will play in Qatar in hopes of making France the first country to successfully defend the World Cup since Brazil in 1962. Brazil was the last nation to achieve this feat. The team has decided to include Benzema in its squad.
After a long absence from national team competitions, Les Bleus probably had high hopes that the reigning Ballon d’Or winner would play a key role for France at the World Cup.
However, he was initially pulled from the tournament with a thigh problem, which caused him a lot of discomfort. Despite the retirements of Benzema and RB Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku, the reigning World Cup champions have a plethora of options available in the attacking third.
Karim Benzema return: Benzema could perhaps play one more time if he resumes training full time
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Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, Kingsley Coman and Marcus Thuram are members of his team in Qatar. Mbappe scored twice to lead France to a 2-1 win against Denmark and advance to the knockout rounds of the tournament in Qatar.
Les Bleus’ victory came on Saturday night thanks to a Paris Saint-Germain goal, which was sandwiched between two Andreas Christensen heads.
Mbappé, who had previously scored in France’s 4-1 win against Australia in the tournament’s opener earlier this week, was voted Man of the Match for his effort and received the award as a result of his performance.
Olivier Giroud, who is currently just one goal away from becoming France’s all-time top scorer, and the PSG striker have worked together effectively in attack.
France has officially qualified for the round of 16
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However, it has been reported that Benzema could return to play for France once more if he resumes full-time training with Real Madrid this week. It’s even possible that he’s fit enough to play for his team in the knockout rounds of the World Cup.
According to FIFA regulations, players who had been selected for the tournament squad but were later ruled out are eligible to rejoin their teams if they fully recover from their ailments.
The decision would finally be made by the French coach, Didier Deschamps, as well as Benzema himself if the latter believes that he is in adequate physical condition to compete.
France have officially qualified for the round of 16 after their victories against Australia and Denmark. However, they still have a game against Tunisia left in their group, and it is likely that they will change their starting line-up for that game.
