Real Madrid News
Frustrated Deschamps definitively rules Benzema out of the FIFA World Cup final
France football team head coach Didier Deschamps has entirely closed the doors on Karim Benzema’s return to the national team fold ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, saying that he already has a group of 24 players and he is going to continue with that.
Benzema, 34, was ruled out of the world due to muscular problems in the quadriceps even before France could play their first group-stage game. The forward has now recovered and even played a part in Real Madrid’s recent friendly game against Leganes on Thursday.
As for Deschamps, he once dodged the question after France’s semi-final win over Morocco by deciding not to comment on the matter. Earlier today, though, he had no choice but to clear the air, saying that the players he need for the showpiece event are already in the squad.
“I see that they are passing the question from some journalists to others,” he was quoted as saying by SPORT.
“I’m not going to answer. There have been injured players, like Karim Benzema, the last one was Lucas Hernandez, and they already know the 24 players I have.”
“The group is there, I am not worried about the invitations of previous players, who is there or not. We had a group and we have lost three players along the way; Nkunku, Karim and Lucas Hernandez.
“We have a group of 24 players and they are the ones we will have in this case,” he added.
Deschamps’ comments come soon after Benzema, himself, posted a message on his social media channels, hinting that he would not be present at the venue to see his team defending the title against Argentina.
As far as his fitness is concerned, the 34-year-old has returned to playing competitive football after playing in a 60-minute friendly encounter against Leganes and if reports are to be believed, he will be available for Madrid’s La Liga game against Real Valladolid on December 30.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
