The renewal of Didier Deschamps until 2026, confirmed this Saturday by the French Football Federation, meant the end, for the moment, of Zidane’s dream of leading the French team and also the non-continuation of Benzema at Les Bleus. According to RMC Sport, the Real Madrid striker made the decision to retire internationally because less than a month ago he already smelled that the already confirmed coach for the next three years was going to continue.
The relationship between the two, just after confirming Benzema’s quadriceps injury that would leave him without the World Cup, not by the footballer’s will, is broken and it is practically impossible for the current Ballon d’Or to wear the French team shirt again. In fact, RMC Sport reports that it could even break its silence in the coming days to clarify a situation that has left many edges open and few answers.
Besides, Benzema is not the only one affected by the renewal of Deschamps. The other is, obviously, Zinedine Zidane. The 50-year-old from Marseillaise rejected several important offers from European clubs last year to take the reins of the French team. According to RMC Sport, Le Graet, who had him in mind in case Deschamps did not renew, did not even call him to inform him of the coach’s continuity, something that could have short-term consequences.
Deschamps, in principle, was going to leave France after the World Cup. He started the tournament without giving Benzema a chance to recover in Qatar and reached the final of the tournament, changing his mind along the way. Having a golden generation, made up of players like Mbappé, Tchouaméni, Griezmann, Konaté or Upamecano, the 54-year-old coach told Le Graet days later his intention to continue. Finally, both parties agreed to continue their paths until 2026, the date on which the next World Cup will be held.
