Evra slams French players in support of Benzema

Evra and Benzema in action for France

Evra slams French players in support of Benzema

Faruq Ibrahim 18:41 - 17.01.2023

Following Benzema's controversial retirement from the French national team, Evra took to his Instagram to show support for the Ballon d'Or winner.

Patrice Evra took to his Instagram to express how he felt about French players' attitude towards Karim Benzema.

The Ballon d'Or winner was included in France's 26-man squad, but got injured before the start of the tournament and did not partake in any games, though he was unreplaced in the squad by Didier Deschamps.

Reports surfaced after the tournament claiming Benzema was not as injured as once feared, with many reports suggesting he would have liked to play in the tournament's later stages. 

Karim Benzema during offical training France national team, Nationalteam at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at 19 November 2022.
Karim Benzema during offical training France national team, Nationalteam at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at 19 November 2022.

The aftermath of the controversies saw Benzema retire from international football, and his former French teammate Evra has come out to question the attitude of France players to the situation, as he felt they did not come to the defence of Benzema.

Evra 'disappointed' by French players 

Patrice Evra took to his Instagram to express his disappointment at the French players' attitude towards Benzema.

He believes some people have issues with Benzema and even questioned Benzema's possible availability for the later stages of the World Cup, citing Argentina's Angel Di Maria, who also got injured but was available to play and score in the final.

Evra and Benzema in action for France
Evra and Benzema in action for France

“From a human aspect, the attitude has disappointed me,” Evra said on his Instagram per Managing Madrid,

“From the outside, I have the impression that Karim annoyed a lot of people. You, players, did not support him. You have to go to war for a player like that. As happened with Di María, who was injured at the beginning of the World Cup, but played in the final and scored a goal.

Evra went ahead to liken this current crop of French players to the 1998 set, who he thought acted as if the team belonged to them. 

“You make the same mistake as the 1998 World Champions, who thought the team was theirs. The French team belongs to everyone. You want to decide who comes, but you don’t have to do that or make the same mistake.

"We have the Ballon d’Or in our team. If I were still there, we would have waited for Karim before even eating. But I didn’t see anyone fighting for him”

Benzema for France

Benzema is no stranger to controversies in the French national team, as he was previously ostracised from the team over blackmail allegations involving Mathieu Valbuena.

Benzema in action for France
Benzema in action for France

Benzema made his debut for France in 2007, and even after having a lengthened period out of the team, he managed to win 97 caps, scoring 37 goals for Les Bleus.

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