Karim Benzema's dream of winning the World Cup is over before he has even taken the field in Qatar, one month after he triumphantly raised the Ballon d'Or to cap his remarkable rise.
The news that France's star striker Karim Benzema will not be participating in the World Cup after tearing a muscle in his left thigh during training on Saturday dealt a devastating blow to the hopes of the defending champions.
The French soccer federation (FFF) announced that "Karim Benzema is out of the World Cup." The Real Madrid striker is compelled to withdraw from the World Cup after injuring his left quadriceps.
After experiencing some pain in his left thigh, Benzema was forced to leave his first full training session with Les Bleus, according to the FFF.
He underwent an MRI scan in a Doha hospital (clinic), which regrettably revealed a tear, according to the FFF, who added that he will require three weeks to recover.
Benzema spoke to his supporters after the news broke.
Benzema wrote on his Instagram account, "I've never given up in my life, but today I have to think of the team, as I have always done. Therefore, logic tells me to offer my spot to someone who can make our team's World Cup performance successful. I appreciate all of your encouraging messages.
Didier Deschamps, the head coach of France, expressed his sadness for Karim, who had made winning the World Cup a top priority.
Since winning the Ballon d'Or, Benzema has only played for Madrid for a total of less than 30 minutes. This was his first full training session with France.
In Group D, France takes on Australia on Tuesday, Denmark the following day, and Tunisia on November 30.
For Benzema, who is only the fifth Frenchman to receive the Ballon d'Or award and the first since his hero Zinedine Zidane in 1998, it is a crushing setback.
The enormously gifted Benzema, who is of Algerian origin, went through Lyon's illustrious junior program and scored his first Champions League goal at the age of 17 due to his bold flair. His 86 goals put him in fourth place all-time.
Benzema led France in scoring at the 2014 World Cup but was barred from the 2018 World Cup squad because of his alleged involvement in a sex tape scandal involving Mathieu Valbuena, a teammate of his at the time.
The repercussions from that controversy caused Benzema to dramatically lose favor. He received a barrage of hate mail and severe condemnation from all over the country, including from politicians. It resulted in a protracted exclusion from the national team, lasting from October 2015 until Deschamps called him back in May 2016.
After repairing his relationship with Deschamps, Benzema scored prolifically for France, tallying 10 goals in 16 games after his return to bring his career total to 37. He also formed an excellent partnership with Kylian Mbappe.
He won over French supporters and solidified his spot in the hearts of Madrid's extremely picky fans. Benzema has advanced to second place on Real Madrid's all-time scoring record with 329 goals after winning five Champions League championships.
Benzema displayed excellent play and led France in scoring at the European Championship last year with four goals.
In an excerpt from an interview with L'Equipe's television channel earlier this week that was scheduled to air on Sunday, Benzema provided comforting news.
"I'm good. I felt some discomfort, but there was no significant harm or tear. I could have played (for Madrid), but I wasn't 100%," he said to this week's L'Equipe TV program.
Now Benzema has joined the list of well-known athletes who suffered injuries just before the World Cup, including Timo Werner of Germany and Sadio Mane of Senegal. Not to mention Paul Pogba, N'Gole Kante, and Christopher Nkunku, who are Benzema's own teammates.
The Deschamps team is rife with injuries.
Nkunku was hurt just before the team's Tuesday night training session came to a conclusion, and Randal Kolo Muani took Nkunku's place in the squad on Wednesday.
Pogba and Kante, the midfielders who contributed to France's World Cup victory four years ago, are already absent for Deschamps.
Raphael Varane, Deschamps' best central defender, has been out with a hamstring injury for exactly one month, and the coach is anxious to see if he will be able to play against Australia.
Presnel Kimpembe, a fellow World Cup winner and central defender, withdrew on Monday after not fully recovering from a six-week absence due to a hamstring injury.
France still has a potent assault to play Australia even without Benzema. The 2018 World Cup hero Mbappe will likely start as France's primary striker, with Ousmane Dembele of Barcelona or the seasoned Antoine Griezmann flanking him.
Giroud, Griezmann, and the 23-year-old Mbappe have all scored 49 goals for France, while Giroud has 42 and Griezmann, 42. For Barcelona, which is now leading the Spanish league, Dembele has been in excellent form.
Deschamps has until Monday, the day before the match against Australia, to select a replacement for Benzema for his 26-man team. Wissam Ben Yedder of Monaco, a striker with three goals for his country, might be a choice.
However, Deschamps already has plenty of forward support in the form of Kolo Muani, Marcus Thuram, and Kingsley Coman of Bayern Munich.
The day following the World Cup championship, Benzema would have turned 35. He won't be in Qatar to play if France wins, just like he wasn't in Russia four years ago.
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