Mesut Ozil reacts to Karim Benzema's absence after Argentina beat France in 2022 FIFA World Cup final

Former Arsenal and Real Madrid star Mesut Ozil put out a tweet reacting to Karim Benzema's absence after Argentina beat France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.

La Albiceleste won on penalties after the game ended 3-3 after 120 minutes. Kylian Mbappe bagged a hat-trick for Les Bleus while Lionel Messi managed to score a brace.

France, however, had the chance to call up Benzema for the final. The Real Madrid superstar left the French World Cup camp after suffering an injury earlier in the season, but Didier Deschamps and co. didn't call him back.

In fact, when asked about Benzema ahead of the FIFA World Cup final, Deschamps said (via Sky Sports):

"I have players who have been injured before. Karim is one of them. The last to be injured is Lucas Hernandez. Since then, I have 24 players to manage. Asking the question vis-à-vis (with regard to) these players, it's awkward to say the least, if not a little more. The group is there."

He added:

"I don't care about invitations from players, former players, or injured players. I don't know who will be there. We had a group at the start and who, from what happened. We lost three, with Nkunku at the beginning. They were part of the beginning of the adventure. There will be 24 important players for France tomorrow."

Mesut Ozil was dear friends with Karim Benzema during their time together at Real Madrid. He wrote on Twitter after the World Cup final:

"No Benzy, No Party."

Whether Benzema would have made a difference to the French team's efforts is impossible to gauge. But with the 2018 champions narrowly missing out on defending their title, many would be tempted to think that he would have made a mark.

Kylian Mbappe shone for France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Karim Benzema's absence

Karim Benzema was the leading goal-scorer in 2022 FIFA World Cup

With Karim Benzema absent from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Kylian Mbappe rose to the occasion and spearheaded his team's attacking duties. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward scored eight goals and won the Golden Boot.

In fact, the reason the final became such a close contest was due to Mbappe's brilliance. His two quick goals (80 and 81st minute) changed the complexion of the game. He also saved the game for his team in extra time, when he converted a penalty in the 118th minute.

The PSG star has already accumulated 12 goals in World Cups at the young age of 23. Many more are sure to come.

Les Bleus, however, suffered a painful defeat in the final. Didier Deschamps reacted after France's loss, saying (via Mirror):

“We were too passive in the first half. We let them do too much damage, but twice we came back, showed spirit and great energy to come back. We had two big chances even at 119 minutes before extra time and then it’s even more painful to lose.”