‘Karim Benzema is the best French striker’ – Fabinho praises Al-Ittihad forward as Brazil prepare to face France

In an interview with L’Équipe, Fabinho (32) has said that he believes Karim Benzema (38) should still be playing for France. The Al-Ittihad midfielder has praised his former teammate as Brazil prepare to play France in the upcoming international break. 

Benzema has not been included in any of Didier Deschamps’ France squads since 2022. The Frenchman was included in the squad for the FIFA World Cup 2022. However, he was forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury before the competition started and later announced his retirement from international football. 

Despite the 38-year-old’s retirement, Fabinho believes the former Real Madrid forward is still capable of representing Les Bleus at the international level. When asked about the Ballon d’Or winner, the former Liverpool midfielder said, “Of course, he’s good enough. I think he’s still the best French number 9. Actually, I don’t even know if he’s a true number 9, but Karim is very strong; he makes the difference. He can score, he can create… That’s Karim.”