Karim Benzema is a legend of Real Madrid. After his arrival in 2009, the numbers are just spectacular for the French striker. 5 Champions League, 4 UEFA Super Cups, 5 FIFA Club World Cups, 4 La Liga, 3 Spanish Cups and 4 Spanish Super Cups.
Furthermore, Benzema is the second best scorer in club’s history just behind Cristiano Ronaldo (451). His 353 goals put him ahead of names such as Raul Gonzalez (323) and Alfredo Di Stefano (308). He also won the Ballon d’Or in 2022.
Now, Karim Benzema is 35-years old and, with his contract set to expire, a decision was inevitable for the final stage of his career. Read here to find out if he’ll stay with Real Madrid or go for a new adventure in Saudi Arabia.
Karim Benzema makes final decision between Real Madrid and Saudi Arabia
Karim Benzema has decided to leave Real Madrid after 14 seasons and 647 matches. The club confirmed the news and next Tuesday there will be a special farewell ceremony led by team’s president, Florentino Perez.
Of course, the big question is which will be his next club. So far, the destination seems to be Saudi Arabia. According to many reports, Benzema received two months ago a $200 million offer to play in that country for Al Ittihad.
However, in the last days, the deal could have been upgraded to convince him putting the numbers be around $400 million. Luka Modric was tempted too, though he will stay at Real Madrid, and another player who could join Benzema is Sergio Ramos as he also announced his departure from PSG.
Saudi Arabia has an ambitious plan to sign soccer stars in the near future as they prepare a massive campaign to host the 2030 World Cup. The first step to do it is boosting the Saudi Pro League. That’s why they went for Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and, in a story still pending, Lionel Messi.