DOHA, Qatar (AP) — One month after elevating the Ballon d’Or in triumph to crown his exceptional rise, Karim Benzema’s dream of successful the World Cup is over earlier than he has even performed a recreation in Qatar.Defending champion France’s World Cup hopes took an enormous blow with the information that its star striker Benzema is out of the event after tearing a muscle in his left thigh throughout coaching on Saturday.“Karim Benzema is out of the World Cup,” the French soccer federation (FFF) mentioned. “After hurting the quadriceps on his left thigh the Actual Madrid striker is pressured to surrender on collaborating within the World Cup.”Benzema was collaborating in his first full coaching session with Les Bleus when he needed to come off after feeling some ache in his left thigh, the FFF mentioned.“He went for an MRI scan in a hospital (clinic) in Doha, which sadly confirmed a tear,” the FFF mentioned, including that he’ll want three weeks to get well.Benzema addressed his followers after the information emerged.“I’ve by no means given up in my life however tonight I’ve to consider the workforce, as I’ve at all times performed,” Benzema posted on his Instagram account. “So purpose tells me to offer my place to somebody who might help our squad have an ideal World Cup. Thanks for all of your messages of assist.”France coach Didier Deschamps mentioned: “I’m very unhappy for Karim who had made this World Cup a serious goal,” Benzema had hardly performed in any respect in current weeks — since successful the Ballon d’Or, he has performed fewer than half-hour for Madrid — and this was his first full coaching session with France.France faces Australia on Tuesday in Group D, then Denmark 4 days later and Tunisia on Nov. 30.It’s a crushing blow for Benzema, solely the fifth Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or award and the primary since Zinedine Zidane, his idol, in 1998.The vastly gifted Benzema, who’s of Algerian descent, got here by way of Lyon’s famend youth academy and scored the primary of his Champions League objectives as an audaciously gifted 17-year-old. He’s now fourth all-time with 86 objectives.Benzema was France’s high scorer on the 2014 World Cup however didn’t play in France’s victorious 2018 World Cup marketing campaign as a result of he was nonetheless exiled from the workforce for his alleged position in a sex-tape scandal with then-France teammate Mathieu Valbuena. The fallout from that scandal led to a dramatic fall from grace for Benzema. He confronted a nationwide deluge of vitriol and scathing criticism, together with on the political stage. It led to a protracted exclusion from the nationwide workforce from Oct. 2015 till his recall by Deschamps in Could final 12 months.Together with his relationship with Deschamps repaired, Benzema scored freely for France with 10 objectives in 16 video games since coming again to achieve 37 general, and he fashioned an ideal partnership with Kylian Mbappe.He gained the hearts of French followers and cemented his place within the affections of Madrid’s equally demanding supporters. Benzema gained 5 Champions League titles and has moved as much as second place in Madrid’s all-time scoring listing with 329 objectives.Ultimately 12 months’s European Championship, Benzema regarded sharp and was France’s high scorer with 4 objectives.Earlier this week Benzema gave reassuring information in an extract of an interview with L’Equipe’s tv channel, which was set to air on Sunday.“I’m high quality. I had a little bit of ache however no tear and no critical harm. I might have performed (for Madrid) however I wasn’t at 100%,” he advised L’Equipe’s TV channel this week.Now Benzema joins the listing of huge names injured shortly earlier than the World Cup — like Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Germany’s Timo Werner. To not point out Benzema’s personal teammates, Paul Pogba, N’Gole Kante and Christopher Nkunku.Deschamps has seen his squad riddled with accidents. Nkunku was injured simply minutes earlier than the top of the workforce’s coaching session on Tuesday night and changed within the squad by Randal Kolo Muani on Wednesday.Deschamps is already lacking midfielders Pogba and Kante, who helped France win the World Cup 4 years in the past. Deschamps has an anxious wait to see if his finest central defender, Raphael Varane, is match to face Australia — precisely a month since he limped off for Manchester United with a hamstring harm.Fellow World Cup winner and central defender Presnel Kimpembe pulled out Monday after failing to sufficiently get well from a six-week layoff following a hamstring harm.Even with out Benzema, France nonetheless has a robust assault to face Australia. France is more likely to begin with Olivier Giroud because the central striker, flanked by 2018 World Cup star Mbappe and both Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele or veteran Antoine Griezmann.Giroud has scored 49 objectives for France, Griezmann has 42 and the 23-year-old Mbappe already has 28. Dembele has been in high quality kind for Spanish league chief Barcelona this season.Deschamps has till Monday — the eve of the Australia recreation — to name up a alternative for Benzema to his 26-player squad. Monaco striker Wissam Ben Yedder, who has three worldwide objectives, may very well be an possibility.However Deschamps already has ample ahead backup with Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman, Marcus Thuram and Kolo Muani.Benzema would have turned 35 the day after the World Cup last. If France reaches it, he gained’t be there to play in Qatar, identical to 4 years in the past in Russia.___