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Carlo Ancelotti has lent his voice to the ongoing battle between his current and former players
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has weighed in on the ongoing dispute between Karim Benzema and France National Team coach Didier Deschamps, noting his current captain’s disposition about the issue.
Benzema called Deschamps a clown after disagreement
Benzema got into a heated debate with Deschamps stemming from his exclusion from the national team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup after what he believed was a minor injury.
Benzema suffered an injury a day before the opening ceremony of the World Cup and was subsequently axed from the squad, returning to Madrid before France’s opening game.
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In a recent interview, Deschamps claimed that the decision to leave the World Cup squad was Benzema’s choice, but the striker who has since retired from the national team, refuted those claims on Instagram, calling his former manager a clown.
Ancelotti wants to keep Benzema matter private
Ancelotti, who coached Didier Deschamps while he was a player at Juventus and is currently Benzema’s coach, was asked to weigh in on the matter and he expressed respect for both individuals, saying that he preferred to keep the matter private.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference before Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League second-leg fixture against Liverpool, Ancelotti said, “It’s a personal question. I respect them both very much, Didier Deschamps also played for me, but it’s a subject Karim doesn’t talk about at all, so I don’t think it affects him, not at all.”
Deschamps will be hoping that Benzema is in top shape both physically and mentally ahead of the Liverpool game, and will want to see a repeat of his captain’s performance in the reverse fixture where he scored twice and assisted another in their 5-2 win at Anfield.
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