The departure of Karim Benzema to Saudi Arabia is confirmed. According to AFP information, the striker has signed for the Al-Ittihad club. The ex-Real Madrid striker, who left Spain on Sunday after fourteen seasons in La Liga, should commit to three years in the formation of the city of Jeddah, according to an internal source at the club quoted by AFP . The 35-year-old player, left at the end of the White House contract, should receive around 200 million euros per year.
The center-forward with 97 selections for the Blues, from which he announced his international retirement after missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar through injury, joins his former partner in Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, in this Gulf country. He signed up after the World Cup at Al-Nassr, a club based in Riyadh, until 2025.
A last goal on Sunday with Real Madrid
Karim Benzema will know in Saudi Arabia the third club of his professional career, started in 2005 with Lyon. The striker, then very great hope of French football, left the Rhône in 2009 to join Real Madrid where he established himself as one of the greatest players in history despite a delicate start.
The player scored 354 goals and won 25 trophies during his fourteen years in Spain. He scored his last goal on Sunday on a penalty against Bilbao before being replaced and applauded by the Santiago-Bernabeu stadium.
After Cristiano Ronaldo and the Frenchman, Saudi Arabia is also trying to attract another football star in the person of Lionel Messi. But the Argentine world champion, officially released by PSG on Saturday, is also in negotiations with his former club Barça. In Saudi Arabia, Al-Hilal offers him 360 million euros per season.
