Karim Benzema has said he "feels sorry" for football pundits after being criticised by Gary Lineker.
The Frenchman told French magazine Les Inrockuptibles (h/t The Sun's Jamie Gordon): "I feel sorry for them, frankly. The criticism from ex-footballers who become journalists, some of who only share their hate. They have experienced the same situations but don't have solidarity."
BT Sport and Match of the Day host Lineker, who scored 329 goals for club and country and played for Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and Nagoya Grampus Eight, gave his thoughts on the striker on Twitter in October:
Benzema joined Real from Lyon in 2009 aged 21, and has since gone on to score 183 goals in 375 games for Los Blancos.