Topics: Didier Deschamps, Karim Benzema, France, Argentina, FIFA World Cup
The Real Madrid star has been linked with a shock return to Qatar for Sunday's final. Here's what the Bleus boss had to say on this matter.

Could we actually see Karim Benzema make an appearance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final?

France secured their ticket to Qatar 2022's main match, beating Morocco 2-0 yesterday in a highly-entertaining semifinal showdown. However, while the defending champions have only one more game to play, rumors have emerged claiming the aforementioned Real Madrid star could feature in Sunday's final.

The Ballon d'Or winner was set to lead the line for Les Bleus but picked up an unfortunate thigh injury just as the tournament was about to start, thus ruling him out. However, the striker was never removed from Didier Deschamps' final 26-man squad.

As pointed out by Marca recently, the Bernabeu icon will therefore pocket a winner's medal if France successfully defend their title against Argentina. However, with the striker having returned from injury, the latest speculations suggest that Benzema might even return to the team and make an appearance in this weekend's finale.

But is there any truth to these claims? Deschamps was asked this during his post-match interview but the irked 54-year-old gave a cryptic answer, letting out a sigh and smirking before telling the journalist to move on to the next question as he had no intention of answering that. Check it out in the clip below.

It would be extraordinary if Benzema returned to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup final and made an appearance against La Albiceleste despite playing zero minutes in this campaign. However, Mbappe and Co. have been excellent in his absence and might not even need the Spanish Primera Division ace in order to lift the crown.

Olivier Giroud has stepped up to the plate, netting four goals throughout this tournament to become France's all-time leading scorer. Meanwhile, Kylian is joint-top in the Golden Boot race alongside fellow finalist Lionel Messi — both are on five goals each.

Karim wasn't the only star to be ruled out for this competition. N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, two key figures in France's 2018 victory, could not recover in time for the 2022 edition while Christopher Nkunku and Lucas Hernandez made the squad but were forced to return home after picking up injuries.

Nonetheless, Deschamps' side have been spectacular despite losing all those key players. The reigning champions beat England 2-1 in the quarterfinals before overcoming Morocco, a team that had not conceded a single goal to an opponent prior to the semifinal.

The European giants will now look to become the first country since Brazil in 1962 to win a second consecutive FIFA World Cup crown. The mighty Lionel Messi stands in their way, meaning Sunday's clash at the Lusail Stadium will be tricky. However, one thing is certain: the highly-anticipated final will be entertaining!