Newly-retired France goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris has responded to claims that he contributed to Real Madrid captain, Karim Benzema, being prevented from rejoining the former world champion’s 2022 World Cup squad.
Newsbreak.ng reports that Benzema was ruled out of Les Bleus’ squad in Qatar on the eve of the tournament after suffering an untimely injury. Rumours subsequently emerged of senior stars in France’s ranks blocking any potential recall – with the said snub ultimately leading to Benzema announcing his international retirement.
Lloris, as national team captain prior to his own retirement announcement on Monday, was said to have led the calls for Benzema to be ostracised, but the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper has refuted those accusations: “There are a lot of things that have been said, which are either false or ridiculous: the atmosphere was very good before he left, and very good after. But we would all have preferred that the Ballon d’Or winner, when we see what he has brought since his return, could be with us. He’s still a major asset!
“To say that we would have pushed for him to leave is completely false, and I do not see how we would benefit from that.
“He was essential for 18 months, he helped us win the Nations League, his return would only have been positive.
“It is really dishonest to claim that some of us were in favour of his departure. When you approach a World Cup, you want to do it with your best players,” Lloris told l’Equipe.
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