Karim Benzema wore the Real Madrid jersey for 14 years. After numerous titles, the striker’s era at the Royals ended last summer. The 35-year-old moved to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. Benzema has now explained his move there.
Similar to Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema is also said to receive a staggering annual salary of 200 million euros in Saudi Arabia. The financial aspect certainly played an important role in his decision to change. According to Benzema, there were also other reasons.
“After everything I have achieved with Real Madrid, it was the right moment for me to take on a new challenge,” he emphasized. Saudi Arabia was a country he wanted to visit before he moved. “I’ve wanted to come here for a long time, even before football. It’s also a Muslim country. I immediately felt this love for myself. I feel comfortable on and off the field.”
“I really wanted to be part of the story and to help Saudi football grow” 🎙️@Benzema discusses his move and start to life in the RSL 🇫🇷#yallaRSL pic.twitter.com/67VysqGDMM
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) October 11, 2023
Benzema now wants to contribute to the development of Saudi football. “This country has welcomed me with open arms. I feel the love of the people here, and that of course makes me happy,” he made it clear how comfortable he feels. “I really want to help Saudi football grow. [Al-Ittihad] was a project that was just starting to really take off and I wanted to be a part of that story. That’s the reason why I came here,” Benzema continued.
The level of the league surprised him, he emphasized: “I’m really surprised and pleased with the level of the game here. Really surprised because we don’t see much football from here in Europe. Nowadays we watch more and more because they’re big have committed to name.”
Benzema has played seven games for the reigning champions so far. He managed three goals and two assists.
Read more about the Saudi Pro League:
2023-10-12 14:16:32
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