France striker and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema has appeared to have announced his retirement from the French National team – coming on his 35th birthday.
The post on instagram and twitter said the following : “I have made the efforts and the mistakes to be where I am today and I am proud of it! I have written my story and ours is reaching an end“. The image featured the Real Madrid man in the colours of his national side during Euro 2020.
The former Lyon youth prospect played for France since youth level, and made his debut in 2007. Benzema has had a complicated relationship with Les Bleus, having been suspended between 2015-2021 due to a sex-tape scandal concerning teammate Mathieu Valbeuna.
However, he has scored 37 goals in 97 appearances in total for Les Bleus, returning to the national team for France’s Euro 2020 campaign but winning the Nations League in 2021. He was selected for France squad for the 2022 World Cup, but was forced to pull out following his return from injuries which plagued the start of his season at Real Madrid.
