Karim Benzema rejects Emmanuel Macron’s World Cup final invitation

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has rejected France president Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, according to ESPN.

The France international was part of the 26-man group Didier Deschamps took to the tournament.

However, Benzema suffered a thigh injury days before France’s first game. There were rumours he could return to play in the final, but France coach Didier Deschamps squashed them.

His president invited him to watch his teammates face Argentina, but he turned it down.

On Friday, Benzema posted a photo on Instagram. The caption read ‘I am not interested’ which reportedly refers to the invitation.

Macron wanted to take Christopher Nkunku, Presnel Kimpembe, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Lucas Hernandez on the presidential plane to Qatar.

Laurent Blanc, Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini also received invitations. However, Benzema rejected the invite along with several other of his compatriots.

Benzema is still behind the team and wants them to win the title. The 34-year-old is still officially part of the squad because Deschamps did not call up a replacement.

There have been rumours that Benzema’s social media post is aimed at Deschamps, who was quite stern when talking to journalists about Benzema.

They questioned whether the former Lyon man would play in the final, and the manager was visibly frustrated.

Benzema is currently focusing on recovering from his muscle injury. He played half an hour in Madrid’s friendly against Leganes two days ago.

If he stays injury free, Benzema will be keen to feature when La Liga returns in 12 days.