The vagueness remains. And the story takes a new turn. French striker Karim Benzema, feeling under “pressure” at Al-Ittihad, asked to “temporarily” leave the club, which offered him a loan to another team in the Saudi championship, AFP learned from a source on Tuesday close to the club.
The option of leaving for another Saudi club was refused by the player, who feels “unable to give the best of himself to Al-Ittihad because of the pressure,” said the same source. Contacted by AFP, the Frenchman’s entourage, under contract until 2026, did not wish to confirm this information.
What pressure is this? Athletic ? Media? Fan-related? It’s hard to imagine Benzema, who experienced the environment of Real Madrid from 2009 to 2023, losing his footing for these reasons. Even less at 36 years old, with an experience that has seen him rub shoulders with luminaries like Mourinho, Zidane or Ancelotti on the bench of the White House and Raul, Ramos or even Cristiano Ronaldo on the field side…
Last summer, Karim Benzema surprised everyone, and in particular Real Madrid, who offered him an additional year of contract, by signing in Saudi Arabia. The former Blues striker had highlighted the desire for a new experience, the discovery of a country where he could exercise his faith in particular. The financial reason, with 200 million euros offered for a two-year contract, with one year optional, was above all the main reason for this departure from Europe. The sporting project having taken second place for the ex-scorer of the biggest club in the world. Armed with equally prestigious titles (1 Ballon d’Or, 5 Champions League, 4 La Liga, 5 Club World Cups…), he had chosen another path and other aspirations. A few months later, this decision looks like a failure.