- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema had to quit France’s training session because of an injury and is set to miss not only the defending champions’ opening match against the Socceroos but the entire tournament.
The Real Madrid striker, who has been struggling with a muscle problem, had trained with the squad on Saturday for the first time since they arrived in Qatar.
However, French sports newspaper L’Equipe reported Benzema did not last the session after suffering a thigh injury, in a different area to the problem he was carrying.
French officials announced in a statement: “Karim Benzema is out of the World Cup. After hurting the quadriceps on his left thigh the Real Madrid striker is forced to give up on taking part in the World Cup.”
France kick off their Group D campaign against Australia on Tuesday evening (Wednesday morning AEDT).
Central defender Raphael Varane, who is recovering from a knee problem, also trained with the squad for hte first time.
Karim Benzema. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
Already without Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante Didier Deschamps has this week had to replace Presnel Kimpembe and Christopher Nkunku.
He is the first reigning Ballon d’Or winner to not feature at a World Cup since Denmark’s Allan Simonsen in 1978 when his nation did not qualify.
The runner-up for this year’s award, Senegal’s Sadio Mane, was ruled out of the tournament earlier in the week due to surgery where a tendon was reattached to the head of his right fibula.
Defender Harry Souttar is adamant he can be removed from Socceroos coach Graham Arnold’s worrisome World Cup injury list.
But concerns remain over a key duo ahead of Australia’s cup opener against reigning champions France on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT).
Playmaker Ajdin Hrustic (ankle) and winger Martin Boyle (knee) are still battling their respective ailments.
Both have yet to feature in main training when sessions have been open to observers for a brief 15-minute window since they arrived in Qatar.
Boyle and Hrustic have been continuing their rehabilitation away from the main group but Souttar says he’s fully recovered from a knee reconstruction.
That followed anterior cruciate ligament damage he suffered in a World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia in Sydney last November.
The imposing defender spent a year on the sidelines and played just one full senior game for his English championship side Stoke City before landing in Qatar.
“Obviously it was a long 12 months trying to get back fit … but I feel great,” Souttar told reporters.
“I knew it was a bad injury and it was going to mean a long-term one … the first thought I had was ‘right, how do you get fit for the World Cup’.”
Souttar’s possible partner in central defence, Kye Rowles, has also declared himself ready after suffering a broken foot in late August.
And Souttar was bullish about Boyle’s prospects of overcoming a knee injury suffered almost three weeks ago.
“Obviously he has had a little setback,” Souttar said.
“But in terms of what he’s doing, I think he’s looking good.”
Melbourne City livewire Marco Tilio has joined the Socceroos as a standby but remains outside the Socceroos’ official 26-man squad.
FIFA rules permit coach Arnold to replace players suffering from injury or COVID-19 up to 24 hours before their first match.
Global supersetars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have united for a rare photo together, playing of all things, chess.
Football fans around the planet have gone crazy after the photo was parted as part of a pre-World Cup campaign for French fashion label Louis Vuitton.
Between them, they have 12 Ballon D’ors, 70 trophies, 1604 goals and 581 asissts but they are determined to add the missing piece on their resume – a World Cup trophy, in Qatar.
Both of them captioned their social media posts with: “Victory is a State of Mind. A long tradition of crafting trunks.”
Messi will be crucial to Argentina’s chances in Group C against Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia while Ronaldo’s Portuguese team is favoured to emerge from Group H over Ghana, South Korea and Uruguay.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.