France’s Karim Benzema out entire 2022 World Cup in injury blow

French soccer fans can look away because this is not the news they were looking for.

After rehabbing for the last several weeks with an unspecified injury, Karim Benzema will miss the entire World Cup, according to multiple reports. His first full training session was forced to end quickly because of injury and it put his World Cup participation up in the air.

He was sent for imaging on his leg to see the extent of it, and the French team’s worst fears were realized just a few hours later as his left thigh injury was deemed serious enough to keep him out of the entire tournament.

Benzema has missed tons of time competing for his national team throughout his career as he was on trial for attempting to blackmail a Real Madrid teammate with a sex tape in 2015. He was found guilty and handed a one-year suspended jail sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros (about $84,000).

His future is even murkier now, as we wonder if the beleaguered 34-year-old’s time in a French uniform is coming to a close.

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France has until Monday to choose a replacement player.