One month after raising the Ballon d’Or in triumph to crown his remarkable rise, Karim Benzema’s dream of winning the World Cup is over before he has even played a game in Qatar.

Defending champion France’s World Cup hopes took a huge blow with the news that its star striker Benzema is out of the tournament after tearing a muscle in his left thigh during training on Saturday.

“Karim Benzema is out of the World Cup,” the French soccer federation (FFF) said. “After hurting the quadriceps on his left thigh the Real Madrid striker is forced to give up on taking part in the World Cup.”

Benzema was participating in his first full training session with Les Bleus when he had to come off after feeling some pain in his left thigh, the FFF said.

“He went for an MRI scan in a hospital (clinic) in Doha, which unfortunately confirmed a tear,” the FFF said, adding that he will need three weeks to recover.

Benzema addressed his fans after the news emerged.

“I’ve never given up in my life but tonight I have to think of the team, as I have always done,” Benzema posted on his Instagram account. “So reason tells me to give my place to someone who can help our squad have a great World Cup. Thanks for all your messages of support.

”France coach Didier Deschamps said: “I’m very sad for Karim who had made this World Cup a major objective,”

Benzema had hardly played at all in recent weeks — since winning the Ballon d’Or, he has played fewer than 30 minutes for Madrid — and this was his first full training session with France.

France faces Australia on Tuesday in Group D, then Denmark four days later and Tunisia on Nov. 30.

It is a crushing blow for Benzema, only the fifth Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or award and the first since Zinedine Zidane, his idol, in 1998.