Football: How will France line up with Benzema?

                                     

 So, the wait is finally over. King Karim is back in the national squad of France for Euros 2021.

French Board has recently announced the news that Karim Benzema will be named to the French squad for the European Championship this summer, we will see how the French football squad will line up for the competition. It will be for the first time that Karim Benzema will play with some other world-class players that were already in the world cup winning squad of 2018, including Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba, Dembele, and N'Golo Kante. Having Karim part of the team will probably make them invincible and would give them an upper hand in the Championship.

Due to Giroud's lack of playing time at Chelsea, Benzema is expected to take his place in the starting lineup. Last year, Benzema said on Instagram, "You can't compare karting and Formula One, and I'm being generous." Deschamps threw another curveball by selecting Jules Kounde of Sevilla. Euro 2020 begins on June 11 after being postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we are already familiar with the draws of Euro 2021, France will be playing in Group F, joining the likes of Portugal, Germany, and Hungary.

France has won 14 games, drawn three, and lost two in major competitions under Deschamps, who took over as coach in 2012, reaching the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals, the Euro 2016 final, and winning the 2018 World Cup.

Following a controversy involving him and Valbuena, a former France and Lyon teammate, the striker was officially "exiled" from the national team. Benzema is accused of aiding and abetting Valbuena's extortion, charges he has repeatedly denied leading up to his trial this year. Deschamps, on the other hand, has repeatedly said that his decisions are "always motivated by one thing only: the good of the French national team" — he was quizzed again on Tuesday night after the squad was revealed. Both he and Benzema set their ego aside, cleared the air, and went on for the sake of France.

Let us have a look at France's full squad for Euro 2021:

GOALKEEPERS: Hugo Loris, Mike Maignan, Steve Mandanda.

DEFENDERS: Raphael Varane, Prisnel Kimpembe, Leo Dubois, Clement Lenglet, Benjamin Pavard, Kurt Zouma, Lucas Hernandez, jules Kounde, Lucas Digne.

MIDFIELDERS: Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Moussa Sissoko, Adrien Rabiot, Corentin Tolisso.

FORWARDS: Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Marcus Thuram, Kingsley Coman, Ousmane Dembele, Wissam Ben Yedder, Thomas Lemar.

MANAGER: Didier Deschamps

People might be unfamiliar with the whole story of Benzema not included in the French National team for years. So, let us clear the air and try to understand the whole story. For us to understand the whole thing, we need to find some answers. 

1. Why wasn't Benzema included in the French squad for the last few years? History of Benzema with the French National Team? Why did Benzema stop playing for France?

 During his time at Lyon, the 33-year-old striker made his senior international debut as a teenager in 2007 and quickly established himself as a regular for his country. Before his exile started in 2016, he had 81 caps and 27 goals for his country, having been a member of the squads for Euro 2008 and 2012, as well as the 2014 World Cup. Benzema was also left out of the 2018 World Cup Squad, and he lobbied in 2019 to be eligible to play for a different national team due to his exclusion from France. He is accused of attempting to extort money from a fellow France international five years ago before a friendly match against Armenia. Benzema, on the other hand, has consistently dismissed the charges.

But, at last, he has been called by the national team again because he is worthy enough to help them win the European Competition.

2. What will be the possible starting XI for France in Euros 2021?

Possible Starting Lineup 4-3-3:

GOALKEEPER: Hugo Loris

DEFENDERS: Lucas, Varane, Kimpembe, Pavard

MIDFIELDERS: Paul Pogba, Kante, Rabiot

FORWARDS: Griezmann, Karim Benzema, kylian Mbappe

This Line up will be creating problems for their opponents as all three forwards are blessed with scoring a lot of goals. So, goals are definitely inevitable for the French team. This Championship will be interesting as Karim Benzema will definitely show his capability and why he was named the best french international playing abroad in 2021.

3. Karim Benzema stats? How many goals has Karim Benzema scored in his career? How many trophies has Karim Benzema won?

Talking about the stats of Karim Benzema, in each of the last three seasons, he has scored at least 20 League goals, giving him a total of 278 goals in 558 games for the Spanish Giants "Real Madrid".

On his arrival, Benzema has won three La Liga titles, as well as four Champions League titles, two Copa Del Rey, four Club World Cup Titles, as part of an 18 Trophy haul.

Club Career:

Goals scored: 360

Matches played: 727

National Career:

Goals Scored: 27

Matches played: 81

Karim Benzema is as important as other players on the team. His addition to the team will definitely make them stronger and will give a proper fight for the title. 

I hope was able to deliver you the whole story about the most talked about topic. I would like you to share your opinions in the comment section. Thank you.