Benzema should be at World Cup, not Deschamps – Ibrahimovic

Karim Benzema should be at the World Cup and not France coach Didier Deschamps, says Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Benzema has not played for his country since October 2015, having been investigated in relation to an alleged attempt to blackmail international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena.

French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet angered the Real Madrid striker by backing Deschamps’ selections and saying Les Bleus had settled into a “style of play and we cannot go back”.

After France failed to impress in their 2-1 win over Group C rivals Australia on Saturday, Ibrahimovic suggested it showed Benzema would have served France better than the coach.

“For me, it’s not normal Benzema is not in the national team,” he told beIN SPORTS.

8 – Antoine Griezmann is involved in 8 goals in his last 5 games in major tournaments with France (World Cup + EURO), scoring 6 goals and delivering 2 assists. MVP. #FRAAUS #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/BO6Rn0Ulud

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) June 16, 2018

“He’s one of the best in the world, he won the Champions League, he plays in Madrid, that he’s not in this team has nothing to do with football.

“If the coach has a decision in saying he’s not good enough for this team then the coach should not be there, but Benzema should. It’s very easy.

“I find it very ridiculous that he’s not there because if you want to win, you get winners, and Benzema is a winner.”

Benzema has scored 27 goals in 81 appearances for France, including three goals at the 2014 World Cup.