“Out of respect for the coach and the players, let them go to new bases,” Hugo Lloris said goodbye on Monday in the cages of the French team. 36 years old, 145 tackles, three international finals, including a world title… The goalkeeper from Nice had a successful career in qualifying, including the last World Cup full of pitfalls.
This final tournament was marked by an injury (left thigh) to Karim Benzema 48 hours before kickoff against Australia. In an interview with L’Equipe, Hugo Lloris wanted to correct some of the rumors spreading here and there. No, the midnight elimination of the 2022 Ballon d’Or was not celebrated by a core of performance players.
“You train in the evening, he gets injured, you go to bed, and the next day when you get up, they tell you that Karim is no more. It all happened so fast… It was presented as a medical bag and we, the players, found it in the morning, at a time when something happened almost every day,” he says. . “A lot has been said that is either misleading or ridiculous: the atmosphere was very good before he left and very good after, and it was very usually enhanced by our career and euphoria. But we would all prefer to have the Ballon d’Or, when we see what it has brought since its return, to be with us. »
“What are we accused of? Know how to reinvent yourself? »
Dejected by the medical verdict and the decision of the staff, Karim Benzema left the Blues Hotel before sunrise and boarded a plane towards Madrid. This departure allowed Olivier Giroud to start at the forefront of the attack, as in 2018, after being on the bench for Euro 2021. “What are we accused of? Have we been able to reinvent ourselves since he left? But we did it after every exit, after every exit, after Lucas Hernandez. (after ten minutes against Australia) like after Karim. We adapted to all circumstances and were strong,” Lloris replied.
As such, the Blues’ historic captain and tackle record holder will turn in his gloves for the next draw in March. And even if Karim Benzema also announced the end of his international career, for Lloris there was no question that we were spoiling the atmosphere in the blue group.
Source: Le Parisien
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