Benzema can improve Mbappe like he did Ronaldo, claims Platini

Stefan Bienkowski

• 26 Jun 2021 15:02 BST
• 5 min read

Former France international Michel Platini believes Karim Benzema can improve Kylian Mbappe’s game just as he did Cristiano Ronaldo’s at Real Madrid.

Benzema was called up to Didier Deschamps’ France squad for Euro 2020 and made his return to the national team for the first time in over five years.

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Despite winning the 2018 World Cup without him, the Real Madrid striker has been handed a starting role in the national team despite missing previous tournaments.

And while that may have come as a surprise to some fans, Platini thinks Benzema should have always been starting for his nation since his game compliments the forward players around him.

“My first reaction was: why wasn't he brought back earlier if there was no problem?” said the former UEFA president in an interview with Sport-Bild. “Everyone knows that Karim Benzema deserves to be in the French national team.

“If he was no longer selected, it was for reasons other than football. That's politics. I can only evaluate the player and I come to the conclusion: Benzema has a double talent, that of playing well for himself, but also that of making others play well.

“Look at how he put himself at the service of Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. I think the Benzema/Mbappe combination will be fantastic because Benzema - while he shines - makes Mbappe even better.”

Could Mbappe join Benzema at Real Madrid?

Mbappe has been linked with a move to Madrid ever since he arrived at Paris Saint-Germain and while it may have seemed like a logical step a few years ago, it now seems a little unrealistic.

Although the striker only has one year left on his contract, PSG would still demand more than £100 million for Mbappe’s signature this summer and everything seems to suggest Madrid simply don’t have that kind of cash lying around at the moment.

Whether the Spanish giants can pull the money together through player sales remains to be seen, but at the moment it seems unlikely that Benzema and Mbappe will be combining for club as they currently are for country.