After signing a three-year contract with Al-Ittihad, Karim Benzema has made clear his true motivations.
The current Saudi champions officially announced the signing of Benzema, who will conclude his 14-year affiliation with Real Madrid at the conclusion of the 2022–23 campaign.
Benzema has made the same decision to relocate to the Middle East as his former Real Madrid teammate and friend, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese phenomenon joined Al-Nassr at the start of the year.
According to Sky Sports, the Frenchman’s decision to move to the Saudi Pro League, which took Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti by surprise, adds to the growing number of A-list stars to grace the oil-rich nation.
During his initial press conference with the club, Benzema openly acknowledged the competitiveness of the Saudi League, emphasising the abundance of talented players within its ranks.
“Al-Ittihad is a new challenge for me. It’s a good league, and there are many good players,” Benzema said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.
The 35-year-old, who is Real Madrid’s second-highest goal-scorer of all-time, cited Ronaldo as one of his motivations, with his quest to win more laurels for his stacked trophy cabinet being another reason to join the Tigers.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is already here, he is a friend who shows that Saudi Arabia is starting to get ahead and I am here to win as I did in Europe.”
Benzema signs for Al-Ittihad
Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Real Madrid’s Ballon d’Or winner, Benzema will join Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia after signing a three-year deal with Al-Ittihad, the Jeddah-based club confirmed on Tuesday.
The Frenchman will join his former Real Madrid teammate in the Gulf kingdom after the five-time world player of the Year moved to Al-Nassr from Manchester United following last year’s FIFA World Cup.
The Benzema announcement comes days after Real Madrid revealed the 35-year-old was leaving the club after 14 seasons, a day after Ancelotti had insisted his future in Spain’s capital was ‘no doubt’.