Karim Benzema will leave Real Madrid after 14 years when his contract expires by month end to join Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad.
This is the same deal that was offered to Cristiano Ronaldo by Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr that forced the Portuguese to leave European club football.
Benzema, who is 35 years old, has spent 14 years at Madrid, and becoming the Los Blancos’ second-highest goalscorer with 5 Champions League, four La Liga and a Ballon d’Or award.
Karim Benzema is thought to remain at Bernabeu until the end of June 2024 but he is looking for a new challenge elsewhere.
Real Madrid are looking to sign Joselu on loan to replace Mariano Diaz but it’s now looking like they will have to look for someone else to boost their attack.
Benzema, who is the club’s captain, was hit by injury mid-season that made him miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup that was held in Qatar.
Nonetheless, the former Lyon striker managed to score 18 goals in 23 LaLiga matches with four coming in the Champions League knock-out stage.
Karim Benzema initially joined Real Madrid from Lyon in 2009 as one of the world’s most prospective young attackers.
But when he arrived at Madrid that year, he had to fight for the first team place as the Spanish giants had Gonzalo Higuain as their top man.
However, when Higuain left, he subsequently became a part of Real Madric’s historic forward that included Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
When Cristiano Ronaldo left Madrid to join Juventus in 2018, Benzema evolved into a complete striker and led the team’s attack.
His best career came in 2021-22 season, when he went on to win the top scorer after scoring 27 goals in the Spanish LaLiga.
Karim Benzema also bagged 15 goals in the Champions League in the same season, a performance that won him the Ballon d’Or in October 2022.
The Frenchman will leave Real Madrid after winning 25 trophies: four LaLiga titles and five Champions Leagues as well as three Copa del Rey, three Spanish Supercopas, four UEFA Super Cups and five FIFA Club World Cups.
Karim Benzema
Karim Mostafa Benzema is a French footballer who was born on 19 December 1987 and plays as a striker for Real Madrid and captains the La Liga club club.
Big Benz as he is fondly called, is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time. He is a creative forward renowned for his goal-scoring ability, as well as his technical skills, vision, and versatility on the field.
Benzema is currently Real Madrid’s all-time second-highest goalscorer and top assist provider.
The Frenchman has won 25 trophies with Real Madrid which includes four La Liga, three Copa del Rey and five UEFA Champions League titles.
Benzema retired from international football in December following France’s World Cup final defeat to Argentina, after he was not included in his country’s squad by coach Didier Deschamps following his injury woes.
Prior to his retirement, Benzema has previously bagged the French Player of the Year by France Football four times.
And for his performances in 2021 and 2022, he was awarded the UEFA Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or, becoming the fifth French player to have won the Ballon d’Or.
Karim Benzema won the award at 34 years and 302 days old, and became the second-oldest winner of the award, after Stanley Matthews.
