Club furious: Karim Benzema reports no less than 17 days late after holiday
Friday, January 19, 2024 at 10:39 PM
Karim Benzema has returned to Saudi Arabia at his club Al-Ittihad, although seventeen days late. There was uncertainty for a long time surrounding the super striker, who was on holiday, and his club is furious with the Frenchman.
The former Ballon d’Or winner spent the holidays on Mauritius, an island near Madagascar. He was then supposed to return to his club in Saudi Arabia on January 2, but that did not happen for a long time. News agency AFP spoke to an anonymous source within the club.
“Benzema was supposed to return from his holiday on January 2, but was not heard from for no less than ten days. He was unreachable,” the anonymous source reports. As a result, Benzema was removed from the selection last weekend by manager Marcelo Gallardo. There was a rumor that Benzema had been stuck on the island by Cyclone Belal, making it impossible for him to return to his club, but the tropical storm only formed after the striker was supposed to have returned.
It is currently unclear when Benzema will make his return to the selection. According to reports, the Frenchman is ‘very unhappy’ in Saudi Arabia and it therefore seems possible that he wants to force a departure. The club now wants to talk to Benzema and his agent to discuss the situation. However, the club is not keen on a winter departure.
While Cristiano Ronaldo has already scored twenty goals in eighteen league games, Benzema has ‘only’ managed to score nine times in fifteen appearances. His apparent crisis of form and injuries would really hinder him.
The single winner of the Ballon d’Or is regularly jeered by the home crowd and in Spain the media report that he would prefer to return to Europe as soon as possible. In addition, Benzema has (temporarily) deleted his Instagram to no longer receive online hate messages.
Al-Ittihad currently occupies a disappointing seventh place in the Saudi Pro League, in which leader Al-Hilal, whose contract includes Neymar, enjoys a 25-point lead over the team of Benzema and associates. The Saudi Pro League will resume next month.
2024-01-19 21:39:00
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