"He [Benzema] is the reason I'm a bit sad France didn't go through because I think Benzema could be… Cristiano Ronaldo no, Lionel Messi no, Mbappe no… I think Benzema would finally have the chance to get some Ballon d'Or or something like that," Jose Mourinho has told talkSPORT Drive.
"He's an amazing player and he was playing so well, under huge pressure, because when he came back to the national team he was under huge pressure and he was fantastic.
"His first goal [against Switzerland] was fantastic because Mbappe pass is not a good pass. Benzema is making a run and the pass goes behind him. His touch with his left foot to put the ball in front of him to attack again, then the goalkeeper comes and makes a huge shadow and touches it with the left foot to the goal. Technically, it is an amazing goal by a brilliant player.
"They [France] started the game against Switzerland bad, they recovered in a fantastic way, showing the immense talent they had. But when I saw the way they celebrated the third goal, I didn't like it. I had the feeling of, these guys are already celebrating on the Eiffel Tower, dancing here, dancing there.
"Sometimes people ask me when I was at Tottenham to try to compare Harry [Kane] with other strikers. I always used Karim because these are the strikers who if they don't score they still give a lot to the team.
“Other strikers, if they don't score they give nothing. They are just goalscorers. These guys are not just goalscorers, they are football players.
"Benzema is a nine, a ten, when he was younger with me, I was playing Gonzalo Higuain as a nine and sometimes Benzema was playing behind or on the left or right. He's a fantastic player and he's taking so much care of himself and his preparation, now physically he is better than he was ten years ago.
"He is better, he is slimmer, he is stronger, he is faster. I think he's playing amazingly well and I'm disappointed he's not going on in the competition because I was supporting him to do something special."
Karim Benzema scored 4 goals in 4 appearances for France at Euro 2020, including a brace against Switzerland that wasn't enough for Les Bleus to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Indeed, Benzema was considered among the Ballon d'Or favourites ahead of the Euros but France's early elimination almost ruins his chances of claiming the prize.
