Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema is viewing the remainder of the season as a ‘revenge mission’, according to reports in Spain.

The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, who was sent home on the eve of the World Cup after suffering a quadriceps injury, missed out entirely as France finished runners-up at the tournament.

Although Benzema recovered in time for the World Cup final, Didier Deschamps kept the striker at home and Les Bleus subsequently lost to Argentina 4-2 on penalties, as all-time great Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the elusive trophy.

Karim Benzema is viewing the rest of the season as a ‘revenge mission’, Spanish reports claim

The forward, 35, was not recalled for the World Cup final by France manager Didier Deschamps

Benzema was on the front page of Spanish newspaper AS, who claim the Frenchman is set on ‘wreaking havoc’ at Real Madrid

Having been snubbed by Deschamps following his reported bust-up with the manager and team, Benzema is viewing the remainder of the season as a ‘revenge mission’, according to AS.

Real Madrid, who are second in LaLiga behind Barcelona ahead of the restart, return to action against Valladolid on Friday.

Spanish reports vow that Benzema will take to the pitch with a chip on his shoulder having missed out on the World Cup final.

His agent questioned why Benzema was sent home by Deschamps – as scans showed he would recover by the quarter-final stage

The 35-year-old’s agent took to Twitter on Boxing Day to question why Deschamps sent Benzema home in the first place, with three specialists confirming the forward would be fit from the quarter-final stage.

‘I’ll put this here, but before that I consulted three specialists who confirm the diagnosis that Benzema could have been fit from the quarter-finals for at least the bench! Why did you ask him to leave so quickly?’ his agent Karim Djaziri said.

Despite his injury-laden first half of the season, Benzema is determined to show his best in front of goal having only netted six times for the Spanish giants so far this campaign.

During the 2021-22 season, which brought a Champions League trophy and LaLiga title to the Bernabeu, the Frenchman scored an astonishing 44 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions.

Benzema retired from international football in the wake of his bitter World Cup disappointment but could reportedly reverse his decision, should Zinedine Zidane take over as France’s new head coach.

The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner is set to return as Real Madrid face Valladolid in LaLiga on Friday

Source: dailymail.co.uk