In an exclusive interview granted to the Spanish newspaper A.S.Karim Benzema spoke from Saudi Arabia, where he is now in the heyday of Al Ittihad. Established as one of the headliners of the Saudi championship, the former Madrilenian always closely follows French football news, particularly the progress of the French team. The Blues have just validated their qualification during this last international break, reinforcing their status as contenders for major competitions to come. It is in this peaceful context, but rich in issues, that Benzema agreed to return to his future and the rumors surrounding the potential succession of Didier Deschamps.
The 2022 Ballon d’Or has not worn the blue jersey since his last call-up in the fall of 2022, just before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, which the Real Madrid legend finally had to leave due to injury. His tumultuous relationship with the French team remains one of the great missed stories of French football, including a five-year absence after the sex tape affair involving Matthieu Valbuena, then a triumphant return to the 2021 Nations League before a new painful episode during Euro 2021, where his injury and the premature elimination of the Blues precipitated an international retirement announced at the end of 2022. Despite his immense career at club level, Karim Benzema will never have fully lived the story he hoped for with the selection despite his 97 caps and 37 goals in the Blues jersey.
A possible return in 2026?
Asked about the possibility of seeing Zinédine Zidane take the reins of the Blues, Benzema did not hide his admiration for the man who marked his career at Real Madrid. “I think Zidane has everything it takes to get there. He proved it at Real Madrid. There is another coach now, but I think Zidane is number one.”he declared, with the same conviction as during their years together in Madrid. An opinion which comes as Didier Deschamps, in office since 2012, has just completed a new qualification for an international competition solidly, but with growing pressure around his succession, in particular due to Zidane’s long-stated desire to one day lead the French team.
As for his own future under a possible coach Zidane, the native of Bron remains cautious, but does not close any doors. “The national team is still a little far away, but you never know, I’m focusing on what I have now”he slips, letting float a veil of uncertainty which will not fail to fuel speculation. While the 2026 World Cup will mark the end of the Deschamps era, some are already imagining a scenario where Zinédine Zidane would take charge and could recall his former number 9 for a final joint chapter. A return which would have a scent of reconciliation and unfinished destiny, but which, for the moment, still belongs to the domain of the possible more than that of the concrete.
