Real Madrid News
France boss Deschamps responds to Karim Benzema’s social media barbs
Earlier today, France manager Didier Deschamps announced the squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland later this month.
The Les Bleus’ head coach has called up two Real Madrid players in Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga for the fixtures, with the latter being named in the squad as a backup left-back by the manager.
After releasing the squad list, Deschamps took questions from the media and unsurprisingly, the topic of Karim Benzema came up during the discussions.
The relationship between the two has completely broken down since the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, when Deschamps allegedly sent Benzema home from the France camp even though his injury was not serious enough for him to miss the entire tournament.
Recently, the France manager had given an explanation on what went down, stating that it was Benzema’s decision to leave the national team camp after an MRI scan.
It had sparked a response from Benzema, with the Real Madrid captain taking to social media to fire shots at the France boss, by writing ‘What audacity’ with a clown emoji and ‘Holy Didier, goodnight’ in two different posts.
When asked about Benzema’s social media activity, Deschamps said: “I’m not watching social media. I know this is a subject of interest for you [reporters] because it leads to debate and controversies.
“As I said, I had to speak recently to say what happened and, to me, the matter is closed, it’s behind me. I’m not going to comment again on whatever is being said. What matters to me is what lies ahead, the future and those two upcoming games.”
When pushed further on the matter, Deschamps went on to term Benzema’s antics as ‘disturbances’ and said the issue is behind him now.
“We had disturbances and we have always had… I’m not gonna talk more about this. You won’t hear one more word from me on this. I spoke up about what happened. Today, it’s behind me and nothing will make me say more on this subject,” he said.
Following the World Cup fracas, Benzema decided to announce his retirement from international football. But the striker is yet to speak publicly on what went down in Qatar and it will certainly be interesting to hear the Real Madrid captain’s side of the story.
Meanwhile, Deschamps also shared his thought process behind naming Camavinga as a left-back in the squad, saying: “He’s versatile to play in other positions but in these games, he gives me more guarantees as a left-back. We already talked about it.”
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool monitoring 19-year-old Bundesliga wonderkid – Romano
According to Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool are all monitoring Bayer Leverkusen and Germany wonderkid Florian Wirtz.
After recovering from his ACL injury, the teenage sensation has been slowly working his way back to his best form. So far this term, Wirtz has managed to rack up a tally of two goals and six assists from 13 matches in all competitions.
The 19-year-old’s talent and potential have never been in question and hence it does not come as a surprise that elite clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool are all keeping tabs on the German international.
A versatile attacking midfielder, Wirtz is capable of playing anywhere in the final third of the pitch and backs up with top-notch end product. Be it as a false-nine or in a more withdrawn role, the youngster has excelled for Bayer Leverkusen, catching the attention of top teams.
Real Madrid, for their part, are also understood to be among Wirtz’s admirers. Given the situation surrounding Karim Benzema’s fitness and the lack of backup at the top, the youngster could be an option, as he has shown potential while operating through the middle.
But Barcelona also have a strong interest in the teenager with reports even suggesting that they have already made contact with his father to enquire about his situation.
At the same time, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is understood to be a huge admirer of his fellow German and with Roberto Firmino on his way out, Wirtz could be lined up as a possible replacement.
However, Romano adds that the expectation is that Wirtz could stay at Bayer Leverkusen for one more year and depart Germany once the UEFA Euro 2024 is out of the way.
For now, there have been talks or negotiations with any clubs, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are all tracking Wirtz and his progress in Germany.
