Fabinho insists Benzema is still France’s best No. 9
Karim Benzema’s international story was supposed to be over. Not for Fabinho.
As Brazil prepare to face France in the upcoming international break, the Al-Ittihad midfielder has thrown a spotlight back on his former Real Madrid teammate, insisting the 38-year-old should still be leading the line for Les Bleus.
Benzema has not featured in a Didier Deschamps squad since 2022. He made the World Cup squad that year, only to be forced out before a ball was kicked in Qatar due to injury. Not long after, he closed the door himself, announcing his retirement from international football and drawing a line under a turbulent but brilliant national-team career.
Fabinho doesn’t see it that way.
Speaking to L’Équipe, the former Liverpool midfielder was unequivocal when asked if Benzema could still play for France. “Of course, he’s good enough. I think he’s still the best French number 9,” he said.
Then came the kind of detail only a former teammate offers. Fabinho admitted he doesn’t even know if Benzema should be boxed in as a traditional centre-forward, before underlining exactly why he still rates him above the rest: “Karim is very strong; he makes the difference. He can score, he can create… That’s Karim.”
It is a striking verdict. France boast a conveyor belt of attacking talent, yet from the other side of the touchline, a seasoned international like Fabinho still sees Benzema as the benchmark.
The World Cup moved on without him. Deschamps’ squad has evolved again. But as Brazil get ready to test France, one of their midfield generals has reignited a familiar question: has the greatest French No. 9 of his generation really played his last game for Les Bleus?
