After all, Karim Benzema quickly completed his move to Saudi Arabia to play football.
“The Ballon d’Or holder, considered one of the best strikers of the modern era, joins the team from this moment on. Welcome to Al Ittihad, Karim Benzema” . Newspaper from Al Ittihad homepage has a paragraph.
At the new team, Benzema enjoys a salary of up to 200 million euros per season, with a 2-year contract with an option to extend for an additional year. He and Cristiano Ronaldo became two of the highest earning players in football.
The French superstar has completed his medical in Madrid and will have a fan launch ceremony for the new team in Jeddah this weekend.
Benzema won 24 trophies with Real Madrid, including four La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey and five UEFA Champions Leagues. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Real Madrid history, after Cristiano Ronaldo.
Benzema shared during the launch ceremony: “I am excited to experience a new football tournament in another country. Al Ittihad has a great history, passionate fans and ambitions to be a major force in Asia. I am fortunate to achieve great things in my career and achieve everything possible in Spain and Europe.
Now, I feel the time is right for a new challenge and project. Every time I come to Saudi Arabia, I always feel the warmth and love from the fans and people. I look forward to joining my new teammates and with them, helping to take this great club and the Saudi Arabia game to the next level.
Saudi Pro League is a good league and has many good players. Cristiano Ronaldo was there, a friend of mine, showing that Saudi Arabia is growing. I’m here to win, just like I did in Europe. I’m glad to see you in Jeddah.”
This season saw Al Ittihad, under former Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo, win the 9th Saudi Pro League title in the team’s history. However, this is their first title since 2009.
Anmar President Bin Abdullah Alhailae confirmed: “With a player like Karim Benzema, you will see the sporting influence and presence on the street.
Fans will start wearing jerseys with Karim’s name on them. They will try to play like him on the field. I assure you, these will be very beautiful and historic moments.”
After Benzema, the Saudi government promised to support many teams to carry out blockbuster deals to enhance the country’s image.
At that time, the possibility that Lionel Messi, N’Golo Kante or Sergio Busquets will become the next players to come to the Middle East to play football.