The former Roma and Juventus defender told Il Corriere dello Sport: "What worries me about Italy is the lack of talent. I think about the national team: as Morocco's captain, I saw Italy as something unattainable.
"Checco (Totti), Pirlo, Del Piero, Nesta, and Maldini, but also people like Vieri, Cassano, Montella: where are they now? France has at least four national teams superior to Italy."
Meanwhile, Benatia is working with Italian coach Roberto de Zerbi at OM and also said: "We talk until 2am, often on video calls because the coach wants to see people face-to-face. At any hour.
“Working with him is just exciting and stimulating, he lives for football, just like me.
“His passion is overflowing; you should see how he prepares matches. There’s a touch of Guardiola in him, but trust me, he’s unique. He breaths football and he breaths life. In that order.”