Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has blasted his former France teammate Oliver Giroud, claiming the Chelsea forward is a much inferior player.
Benzema hasn't played for France since being exiled from the national set-up before Euro 2016 and Giroud has led the line for Le Blues since - helping them win the World Cup in 2018.
"You shouldn't confuse F1 and go karting and that's me being kind," Benzema said on Instagtam.
"He has his career, he does what he wants and scores the goals that he wants to score. He's in his corner and I'm in mine; I'm not thinking about him. If we're talking about playing style, his suits France well.
"It's good because there are fast players like Mbappe and Griezmann who play out wide or feed off the centre-forward. When Giroud is up front, he's a handful for defences, which gives the other two plenty of space to show what they can do.
"He occupies defenders and it works. It might not be brilliant to watch and you won't say, 'Wow, that was incredible.' Does everyone like that style of play? I don't know, but it suits France well."
Benzema was charged with trying to blackmail his teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape in 2015 and French Federation President says the 32-year-old's "adventure is over with the French national team".
He's since doubled down on his comments about Giroud, insisting he was just telling the truth:
"That's what I think, that's the truth, and that's how it is. Because now, if you ask me with R9 (Ronaldo): R9 is F1, and I am karting. That's the way it is. We're going to move on."
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