Noël Le Graët unveils new behind the scenes of the return of Karim Benzema

Castle life, Karim Benzema found it again this Wednesday, at Clairefontaine, more than 2,000 days after his last visit to the French team’s training center. Summoned for Euro 2020 by Didier Deschamps, the Real Madrid striker showed his good humor. Noël Le Graët, too, is happy. The president of the French Football Federation is delighted to see KB9 in Blue again, as he told the Parisian.

“I have always wanted this return, and when I was talking to Didier, I was always constant on Benzema,” he said first. Then, the boss of the 3F gave new information on the meeting which changed everything between the national coach and the former Lyonnais. “Last year it wasn’t even worth it. But gradually I felt that things were getting better, and then one day, Didier called me and said: “Here, I think I’m going to go see him.” I would have preferred that it be done for a long time, but there, he was completely decided “, he revealed before continuing.

DD has been thinking about it for a long time

“Didier has been thinking of Benzema’s return for six months”, he affirmed, explaining more in length then. “For a while, I felt that Didier, I wouldn’t say… was flinching, but in any case had forgotten this war of words. And then he was sensitive to the fantastic season of Karim Benzema, and he wanted to make peace. The timing is right “, he appreciated, satisfied to have in the service of the Blues one of the best strikers of the moment on the European scene.

The strong man of French football assures him, the native of Bron is only there because he deserved it on the field in view of his exercise at the forefront of the Merengue attack (23 achievements in La Liga) . “It’s not advertising, nor com, it’s not Didier’s type. The France team won without Benzema, but sportingly, he deserved his selection ”, concluded Noël Le Graët. If we do not yet know too much about the content of the famous discussion between the two men, we know a little more about the timing and the underside of this unexpected return. To be continued in the next episode.