Karim Benzema announced his retirement from the France national team on his Twitter account.
The Real Madrid captain, who turns 35 today, earned 97 caps for France and scored 37 goals since he made his debut in 2007.
Benzema didn’t play for the national team between 2015 and 2021 due to Didier Deschamps’ decision not to call him up over the Mathieu Valbuena sex-tape case.
He returned to the national team in 2021 and played in Euro 2020, which was held that year. He was included in France’s World Cup squad, but he had to return to Madrid after suffering an injury in training prior to the start of the tournament.
The Frenchman posted the following message on his Twitter and Instagram:
“I made the effort and made the mistakes to be where I am today and I am proud of them. I have written my story and ours is coming to an end.”
Benzema declined President Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to attend the Final.
GSFN | Tom Cserép
