In a long interview with L’Équipe, Karim Benzema spoke about a possible return to the French national team and took the opportunity to strongly praise Ousmane Dembélé, who won the Ballon d’Or last September — just as Benzema himself did in 2022.
Currently playing in Saudi Arabia, where his contract with Al-Ittihad expires next June, Benzema spoke to the French daily just one week before his 38th birthday. The former Real Madrid striker notably addressed the possibility of returning to Les Bleus ahead of the 2026 World Cup, even if such a scenario appears unlikely at this stage.
**“Right now, I’m with my club (Al-Ittihad). If I get called up to the national team, I come to play football. And that’s it.
We’re talking about a World Cup. Obviously, these aren’t situations where you can say, ‘No, I don’t feel like it.’ Because it would be lying to say, ‘No, I don’t want to play in a World Cup.’”**
“What Dembélé has done at PSG is something we’ve never seen before”
When asked which current French international he particularly appreciates, Benzema immediately mentioned a Paris Saint-Germain player first: Ousmane Dembélé.
**“We’re talking about a guy who won the Ballon d’Or. And in my opinion, we’re not talking about him enough.
What he did at PSG is something we’ve never seen before. I really think we’re not making enough of him. Because, actually, he’s the best player in the world.”**
For Benzema, Dembélé’s season deserves far more recognition, especially considering the obstacles he had to overcome earlier in his career.
**“We don’t emphasize enough the season he’s had. He’s come a long way. He’s had a lot of injuries, his time at Barcelona…
He wasn’t necessarily the guy you’d say one day, ‘Maybe he’ll win the Ballon d’Or.’ He was far from that. But in the end, he proved everyone wrong. So I really like this player.”**
Strong words from a former Ballon d’Or winner, reinforcing once again the exceptional status Dembélé has reached at PSG and on the world stage.