Thierry Henry will have the right to retain three players over the age of 23 in the list of eighteen players selected for the Olympic Games. Several names have been floated around so far, including Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud or Raphael Varane, but the coach still doesn’t know who he can trust as the final decision to make international players available rests with the clubs they are with. is under contract. And only them.
Real Madrid have already officially informed the French Federation that their players will not be released for the Olympics, potentially depriving Kylian Mbappe of his Olympic dream if he joins Real this summer. “Everyone wants to come, but whether they will be able to come is another discussion (…) We have to discuss and check everyone a little bit, we have to plan for many situations”, the coach worried Monday. And when asked what position he wants to take from veterans, Thierry Henry knows. “I already know the positions, yes. But I don’t know the players. What positions? It will remain confidential. » Secret but predictable, it is in front that football has won and nothing like Thierry Henry dreams of Kylian Mbappé.
“Why not, of course, it could be great”
Karim Benzema on his possible participation in the Olympics
Could Karim Benzema be part of the 18 in the unlikely event Kylian Mbappe is not selected? The question was posed on Tuesday by our colleagues at L’Équipe du Soir on the 2022 Ballon d’Or. And the answer is formal. “Olympics? Why not, of course, it can be great! » Karim Benzema retired from international football a day after the Blues lost to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final. Injured shortly before the contest, the attacker did not participate and followed his former partners’ journey from afar. He played his last match with the France team on June 13, 2022 during a Nations League match against Croatia (0–1).
Karim Benzema, 36, has been playing with Saudi club Al-Ittihad since the start of the season and under contract until June 2026, whose last championship match will be on May 27. This season, Karim Benzema, who has missed the last three Championship matches due to a back injury, has scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in 23 appearances for his club. Average stats in this level of championship for a player of his calibre. What is his current form and level and how can he perform during the Olympic tournament? This is one question among others, such as could Thierry Henry be sensitive to the fervor of this unofficial candidacy?
About a hundred players above the age of 23 can be selected
On Tuesday evening, the coach did not respond to our requests. But in the U23 community, we believe that the 2022 Ballon d’Or is subject to the same risks as others: his club’s desire to release him for the Olympic deadline and his level of sport when the list is published, at the end of May. As of today, the former Madrilenian is one of nearly a hundred active players over the age of 23 eligible for selection, which has yet to make him the talk of the Blues staff. Henry will probably have the chance to give his opinion on Benzema on Thursday during his next press conference on the eve of the Ivory Coast’s welcome to Chattereaux.
(TagsToTranslate)Régis Testelin
