A star-studded France side will be many punters’ pick to win Euro 2020 this summer, especially now the world champions have added one of Europe’s top strikers to their attacking arsenal: Karim Benzema.
The 33-year-old’s return to the international fold almost six years after his last cap was the biggest talking point from Didier Deschamps’ squad selection.
At times, it seemed impossible that Benzema would ever pull on the national team shirt again.
In recent years, his relationship with Deschamps and the Les Bleus set-up has been tense – to put it mildly.
The reason behind the Real Madrid striker’s period in the international wilderness is his alleged involvement in a blackmail case involving former France midfielder Mathieu Valbuena in 2015.
Benzema is suspected of putting pressure on his team-mate to pay a blackmailer who had threatened to release a sex tape Valbuena featured in.
The Madrid man has always denied any involvement, and he will stand trial in October after being charged with complicity in attempted blackmail.
The story caused a big scandal in France. Then Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Benzema had “no place” in the national team, and the forward was banned from the France set-up in December 2015.
Deschamps’ relationship with Benzema, which had previously been good, broke down when the striker was left out for Euro 2016 and accused his boss of bowing to pressure from racists.
In 2019, French Football Federation president Noel Le Great said Benzema’s “adventure with France is over”, leading Benzema to respond by saying: “If you think that I am finished, let me play for a country that I am eligible to play for and we will see.”
There were calls for Benzema’s return, though, notably from his Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, who said earlier this year that “there are many who don't understand it (his exclusion).”
Of course, Benzema’s performances on the pitch have helped his cause too. He enjoyed a superb season for Real, scoring 30 goals in 46 games in all competitions.
It’s not like France have struggled in his absence - they finished as runners-up in Euro 2016 before winning the World Cup two years later - but Deschamps eventually decided to make a U-turn and bring the Madrid man in from the cold this year.
Deschamps said his decisions "are always guided by one thing only: the good of the French national team”, and reports said he spoke to senior players about Benzema’s reintegration before calling him up.
"Everyone can make mistakes,” Deschamps said.
"I have already had difficult relationships with some players, but this shirt is above everything else. I took the time to think, to analyse my feelings. My job is not to surprise. I never said that Karim was not eligible for France. We can't go back in time. The most important is that we saw each other. I needed it, and he did too.
"In my head, I made the decision a while ago. There were many discussions, weighing the pros and cons. It was done very discreetly, but it was only between Karim and I.”
It leaves France with a forward line that will send shivers down the spines of any defence at Euro 2020.
He is likely to spearhead the attack alongside Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, with Kingsley Coman, Ousmane Dembele and Olivier Giroud among the options waiting in the wings.
Not that Benzema seems to rate the latter much though; in an Instagram Q&A in March 2020, he was asked about comparisons between him and the Chelsea man.
“You can’t confuse an F1 car with a go-kart and I’m being kind,” he said.
Deschamps will certainly be hoping not to hear any more comments like that as he looks to lead a united squad to the objective they narrowly missed out on five years ago: European glory.
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