Karim Benzema to Move to Saudi Arabia

Karim Benzema to move to Saudi Arabia

Karim Benzema will join his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and move to Saudi Arabia once his contract with Real Madrid expires this month, according to ESPN.

Benzema has been offered a two-year contract worth $400 million — the same contract that Ronaldo was given to join Al-Nassr in January.

Al-Ittihad is the team who have made the offer to sign Benzema. The club recently won their first Saudi Pro League title since 2009, outlasting Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr by five points.

Many expected Benzema at least remain in Madrid for one more year. However, he has decided that he has achieved enough in the Spanish capital and is ready for a new challenge.

The 35-year-old French striker has been at Real Madrid for 14 seasons. He joined in 2009 from French side Lyon when he was just 21 years old. After beating out Gonzalo Higuain for a starting role, he helped form a formidable Real Madrid attack that consisted of him, Gareth Bale and Ronaldo.

When Ronaldo left the Bernabeu in 2018, Benzema became Madrid’s main goalscoring threat. He had his best season in 2021-22, scoring 27 La Liga and 15 Champions League goals. He won the 2022 Ballon d’Or for his goal-scoring contributions that year.

During his 14 years in Marid, he has won 24 trophies: five Champions Leagues, four La Liga titles, three Copas del Rey, three Spanish Supercopas, four UEFA Super Cups and five FIFA Club World Cups.

He also became the club’s second-highest goal scorer, trailing only Ronaldo.

Benzema’s signing is a massive coup for the Saudi Pro League. The league has ambitions to be one of the best leagues in the world, so signing a star such as Benzema, even if he is 35, to play against Ronaldo will undoubtedly gain the league prestige and interest.

The league is also chasing other superstars as well, with Lionel Messi as their primary target right now. Benzema’s signing could be used to convince Messi to move to Saudi Arabia and join Benzema and Ronaldo in the land of retiring superstars.

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