Leeds [UK], Mar 31 : Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has defended his jibe at Olivier Giroud, saying he was simply 'speaking the truth' when asked to name the better striker between him and Giroud.
His response comes one day after his choice of words when asked to name the better striker. When Benzema was asked as to who is better between him and Giroud, he replied: "Don't compare Formula One with karting".
However, defending his words, Benzema took to Instagram to explain why he chose these words.
"About Giroud, I simply told the truth. But we didn't remember what I said about him, especially about what he brings to the French national team. We just remembered the moment when I said I was F1 and he was karting. That's what I think, that's the truth, and that's how it is," Goal.com quoted Benzema as saying.
"Because now, if you ask me with R9 (Ronaldo): R9 is F1, and I am karting. That's the way it is. We're going to move on," he added.
Benzema has not played for his country since the Euro 2016 and has not gotten an opportunity to add to his 27 goals for the country.
As a result, Giroud has taken advantage and has gone on to become the third-highest scorer for France, managing to score 39 goals in 93 games.
However, this has still not led for Giroud to have some game time at the club level, while Benzema is still enjoying one of his most productive seasons for Real Madrid.
Benzema was dropped from France's lineup after a dispute with Mathieu Valbuena in which he was accused of blackmailing his former teammate.
He has been performing well for Real Madrid and this led to the speculation of him making it back to the France lineup.
However, the president of the France Football Federation Noel le Graet dismissed the idea.
( With inputs from ANI )