New details have emerged regarding Karim Benzema's France fallout, with the Real Madrid forward accused of causing tension with key players in the squad.
France may have go onto fall painfully short of winning the World Cup, but all the talk seems to be around Benzema, and his fallout with the national team.
In a different world, we could have had the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner at the world's biggest sporting event, and France perhaps could have gone one better in Qatar.
An injury saw him miss the tournament, and reports have claimed that plenty of French players were happy to not have him the squad, so what went on?
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The latest reveals come from Spanish media outlet AS, who reports a battle of egos was at the centre of the issue, with Benzema and Antoine Griezmann reportedly butting heads.
Griezmann went on to have a brilliant tournament for France and was instrumental in their run to the final, but prior to the finals, he is claimed to have believed Benzema was the cause of tension within the camp.
It reveals that Griezmann felt too much social media coverage was spent on the Real Madrid striker and not covering him during the build up and during the competition.
Furthermore, it goes on to claim that Griezmann was 'concerned' over how little he appeared on social media compared to Benzema, which nearly prompted an 'executive meeting' with the French Football Federation to discuss such issues.
Key senior figures in Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud also 'expressed doubts' over Benzema's impact on the squad, as did the injured Paul Pogba.
This all led Benzema to unfollow everyone in the squad except five of his former teammates in Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane and Marcus Thuram.
Following the World Cup, Benzema also announced his retirement from international football on his 35th birthday.
He took to Instagram to share his thoughts: "I made the effort and the mistakes it took to be where I am today and I'm proud of it! I have written my story and ours is ending,' Benzema wrote on Instagram on Monday afternoon when announcing his retirement."
The striker had 37 goals in 97 games for his country having made his debut back in 2007 and played across four major tournaments.
Sadly his international career will be remembered more for his controversy rather than his on-the-pitch achievements and performances.
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Topics: Football, Football World Cup, France, Karim Benzema
George Priestman