Rothen stings Benzema: “He is not among the best French ever”. And Karim replies: “You talk too much …”

The winner of the Ballon d’Or seems to have finally made peace with the transalpine public opinion. Yet some criticism comes right from the backyard. And to do it, needless to say, he is the most caustic columnist in France …

Once in a while, the Golden Ball hasn’t been a source of controversy, at least as far as the winner of the trophy is concerned. That Karim Benzema would receive the award was beyond doubt, given the crazy season with the Real Madrid shirt, which above all thanks to him won both La Liga and the Champions League. Therefore, an expected and deserved ovation for the Frenchman, who after almost a decade of at least particular relations with the home crowd (and with the federation and CT Deschamps) seems to have finally made peace with the country. Yet some criticism comes right from the backyard. And to do it, needless to say, he is the most caustic columnist in France.

Rothen’s statements

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Jerome Rothen, former PSG and national team full-back, is famous for his broadcast on RMCSport, in which nobody really spares. And even after the victory of the Ballon d’Or, some arrows for Benzema have arrived. “In the French national team we are certain of having a star more with Mbappè than with Benzema. Mbappè scores more and is more decisive, more than any other striker. It is essential.” And his judgment on Benzema is not very tender. “Benzema is not one of the legends of French football, if we consider all generations of footballers. If he manages to win the World Cup, then yes, he will be considered a legend.” As always, at least controversial opinions come from Rothen. But Benzema didn’t stay … with his cell phone in his hand.

Benzema’s answer

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As AS explains, the Golden Ball took the floor on social media, responding to the former full-back. The first post is a photo of Rothen as a footballer, at the time when he was sold to MKE Ankaragücü in Turkey, with a message that is not exactly conciliatory: “You talk too much. Stay focused …”. And the next photo is of Benzema holding the prize, just to confirm the concept: “Concentrated …”. In short, the center forward is keen to make his detractor understand that there is a certain difference between their careers. And Rothen? Well, he replied on the air. “What I regretted is not so much the photo, which amused me, is that Karim took what I said as an attack.” But if in his opinion they were supposed to be compliments, maybe the former defender could do them … in a better way!