World best player Benzema ruled out of World Cup

Reigning Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema will not be featuring for his country France at the 2022 FIFA World Cup which kicks off today (Sunday).

The Real Madrid star, who helped Real Madrid win the Champions League and La Liga last season, sustained a thigh injury in training.

The French national team said he had suffered a thigh problem and would not be able to feature in tournament.

“The whole team shares Karim’s sadness and wishes him a speedy recovery,” it added.

Read Also: De Bruyne, Benzema, Courtois battle for UEFA player of the year award

The French Football Federation said an MRI scan confirmed a thigh muscle injury “which will require a three-week recovery period”.

France are in Group D and play Australia on 22 November, Denmark on 26 November and Tunisia on 30 November.

Head coach Didier Deschamps has until Monday to name a replacement for 34-year-old Benzema, who has scored 37 times in 97 matches for France.

Defending champions France are already without midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante because of injury.

Ripples Nigeria recalls that in the past few World Cups, the defending champions always crash out of the competition at the group stage.

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