Atletico de Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann says international team mate Karim Benzema always responds on the pitch and has backed him to overcome his off-field problems.
The Los Blancos striker has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent months and has generated plenty of negative PR. The 27-year-old is involved in a blackmail case against team mate Matieu Valbuena.
As a result of his involvement that, Benzema was suspended from the France team and will find out next month whether he can be recalled or not ahead of the European Championship in the summer.
He was also called as a witness in a fraud case involving a company he had invested in, although there is no suggestion the striker has done anything wrong.
In quotes published on FourFourTwo magazine, Griezmann said: “Whatever’s going on with him, he always responds on the pitch. But there are other forwards, such as Gignac and Giroud, and Martial can also do a good job. We’ll see what happens in the upcoming two games. Karim is an important player for us.”
Griezmann also admitted his has found the step up from club to international football difficult at times.
“It’s different at international and club level. At Atletico you see the guys in the dressing room every day. Here it’s different because you only have a few days to prepare for matches. I try to do my best, although I haven’t always produced top performances. I know that I have to work even harder.”
Comment: benzima is a great guy indeed