Lloris reacts to allegations that he prevented the return of Benzema

Lloris Red Flags accusations that he prevented Benzema from rejoining the France team for the 2022 World Cup

WHAT TRANSPIRED?: The Real Madrid striker, who had just received the prestigious Ballon d’Or trophy, was forced to withdraw from Les Bleus’ plans in Qatar prior to the tournament due to an unfortunate injury. However, there were rumors that senior stars in France’s ranks were blocking any potential recall, which ultimately led to Benzema announcing his international retirement. He did return to training in time to play in the knockout stages, as Didier Deschamps’ side ultimately lost in an epic final match with Argentina.

THE BROAD VIEW: Prior to announcing his own retirement, Lloris was the captain of the national team and was alleged to have spearheaded calls for Benzema to be shunned, but the Tottenham goalie has responded to those claims by saying the following: “There are a lot of things that have been said, which are either false or ridiculous: the atmosphere was very good before he left, and very good after. But we would all have preferred that the Ballon d’Or winner, when we see what he has brought since his return, could be with us. He’s still a major asset!”

“To say that we would have pushed for him to leave is completely false, and I do not see how we would benefit from that. He was essential for 18 months, he helped us win the Nations League, his return would only have been positive. It is really dishonest to claim that some of us were in favour of his departure. When you approach a World Cup, you want to do it with your best players.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR BENZEMA?: After 97 appearances for France, in which he scored 37 goals, Benzema announced the end of his international career. The 35-year-old frontman is now entirely focused on Real Madrid’s club business; 2018 World Cup winner Lloris is now in a comparable position at Spurs after making an unprecedented 145 appearances for his nation.