Real Madrid’s iconic striker and the Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema has signed a contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad football club for a period of three years starting from next season. A club source in Jeddah revealed this exclusive news to the AFP on Tuesday.
The departure of the 35-year-old came after an announcement made by the Spanish football club Real Madrid on Sunday, a day after the team’s coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed his conviction that Benzema’s future lay in Spain.
If the move is confirmed, Benzema is going to be reunited with his former Real Madrid colleague and fellow superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia. The five-time world player of the year had joined Al Nassr from Manchester United following last year’s World Cup.
Interestingly, Lionel Messi, who is departing Paris Saint-Germain after two seasons, has also been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. Senior officials from Al Hilal, another Saudi Arabian football club, have allegedly flown to France to negotiate a deal with Messi. According to two reliable sources, the Saudi delegation aims to meet Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, with the hope of finalizing the signing as soon as possible.
Karim Benzema, who previously played for Lyon in Ligue 1, had joined Real Madrid in 2009. He featured in 648 games for Madrid and is second on Real’s all-time goalscoring list with 354 goals, only behind Ronaldo, who has scored more. With three Spanish Copa del Reys, four La Liga titles, and five UEFA Champions League trophies, the French striker has accomplished a lot in his outstanding 14 seasons at Real Madrid.
After an exceptional 2021-22 season where he led Real Madrid to Champions League glory and was recognized with the Ballon d’Or, Benzema struggled with injuries during the just-concluded season. He was unable to take part in France’s World Cup campaign in Qatar last year due to a thigh issue.
Benzema bid farewell to Real Madrid’s training ground on Tuesday and stated, “It hurts me because I had a dream in my head – to sign for Madrid and finish at Madrid, but sometimes life gives you other opportunities.”
Saudi Arabia has prepared a list of more than ten football players who have won either the Champions League or the World Cup that it wishes to attract to play in its league. A source familiar with the talks told the AFP. The list includes Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, and N’Golo Kante, his French teammate, all of whom are nearing the end of their careers.
Saudi Arabia’s vision to host the World Cup in 2030 or 2034 and its desire to revamp its austere image that has been criticized by human rights organizations, has heightened its ambitions to promote sports.