Real Madrid's Benzema hits out at L'Équipe over shortlist absence
Karim Benzema took aim at L'Équipe on social media after being left off the newspaper's nominees for its 2018 team of the year.
Karim Benzema has taken a swipe at L'Équipe over his omission from the newspaper's shortlist of strikers for its 2018 world XI, voted for by its readers.
Benzema, who scored for Madrid in Thursday's 2-2 LaLiga draw with Villarreal, was left off the 15-man list despite helping Los Blancos to a third straight Champions League title last year.
"Am I maybe 16th?" quips Benzema
Taking to Instagram with a screenshot of the nominees, the 31-year-old Frenchman wrote: "Hey L'Équipe, my friends. Am I maybe 16th?"
His post quickly generated heated online debate, with opinion divided over whether his absence was, as some said, logical, or, according to others, "crazy".
Former club-mate Ronaldo voted into all-star XI
Of the 15 candidates, Benzema's former Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo was finally chosen for L'Équipe's ideal line-up, which was announced on Thursday.