Zinedine Zidane said he could not understand why Karim Benzema was not playing for France after the striker scored two goals and an assist in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Celta Vigo in his last La Liga match before the international rested.
Benzema scored his first point after 20 minutes in Balaidos, and another ten minutes later – both by Toni Kroos – while Madrid moved ahead of Barcelona in second place, and within three points of front-runner Atletico Madrid.
– Ratings: Benzema 9/10 when Ream Madrid beat Celta Vigo
The prop means that Benzema – who has not been called up by French coach Didier Deschamps since 2015 – has 17 league goals, and he has scored eight in his last six matches in all competitions.
“You do not understand it, I do not understand it, there are many people who do not do it,” Zidane said when asked about Deschamps’ refusal to appeal to Benzema. “For me as Real Madrid coach, it’s better for him to stay with us, that’s for sure. What he did with his teammates today was spectacular. He’s hardworking and he wants more.”
Benzema’s exclusion from the French national team in 2015 stems from his alleged involvement – for which he is on trial – in a conspiracy to blackmail former international teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
The initial decision of the French football federation to suspend Benzema is followed by Deschamps leaving Benzema out of their Euro 2016 group.
The attacker responded by claiming that Deschamps ‘had bowed down under the pressure of a racist part of France’ to release him.
“As long as Deschamps is the national team coach, I will not have a chance to come back,” Benzema said in 2017.
While Benzema will be staying in Madrid next week, teammates Raphael Varane and Ferland Mendy will work with France – while Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Thibaut Courtois have also been called up by their countries.
“We know the calendar, there are a lot of games, but we will continue, because now the players are good,” Zidane said when asked about the busy list. “[Modric and Kroos] will go away with their national teams and they will play games, for me as coach of Real Madrid it is not ideal but we can do nothing about it. ‘
Zidane also confirmed that Ramos would be fit to play for Spain, despite Real Madrid losing the victory in Vigo by a landslide.