French Ballon d'Or Karim Benzema will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, after 14 seasons with the Spanish club, it was announced on Sunday. "Real Madrid CF and our captain Karim Benzema have agreed to end his brilliant and unforgettable period as a player for our club," Real Madrid wrote in a statement released a few hours before the last match of the season in the Premier League. 'Spain.
Arrived in 2009 in Madrid from Lyon, Benzema left an indelible mark at the age of 35 within the Madrid club, with 25 titles, including five Champions Leagues. His last European coronation, in 2022, opened the doors to the Ballon d'Or, the first for a French player since Zinédine Zidane in 1998. He failed this season in the C1 semi-final against Manchester City.
The goalscorer is expected to sign in Saudi Arabia, according to state media. "The Al-Ittihad club have reached an official agreement with Frenchman Karim Benzema to join their ranks in a contract that extends over two seasons," Al-Ekhbariya said. According to the channel, the club president and his deputy are in Madrid "to officially sign" a "record" contract with the striker.
Since Tuesday, the Spanish press has been talking about an offer from Al-Ittihad to the French striker. Based in the coastal city of Jeddah, on the shores of the Red Sea, Al-Ittihad were crowned champions of Saudi Arabia this season ahead of Al-Nassr, the club of Cristiano Ronaldo. The world's largest crude oil exporter, Saudi Arabia is increasingly relying on sport to diversify its economy and provide itself with a better international image, tarnished by recurring accusations of human rights violations.
Cristiano Ronaldo signed at the end of December for two and a half years with Al-Nassr for a contract whose amount would reach, according to unconfirmed information, 400 million dollars.
According to several media, the seven-time Ballon d'Or and Argentine world champion Lionel Messi, whose departure from PSG was made official on Saturday, also received a staggering offer of around 400 million euros per year to land at his turn in the kingdom.
Karim Benzema has earned the right to decide his future,” Real said in their statement, implying that Benzema himself decided not to extend his contract. Real announced Tuesday at 12 p.m. a tribute to its player, in the presence of club president Florentino Perez.
