Revealed: Why Benzema Followed Ronaldo To Saudi Pro League Few Months After Winning Ballon D’or 

Karim Benzema has provided an explanation for his decision to leave Real Madrid for the Saudi Pro League just a few months after winning the Ballon d’Or.

Despite being awarded the world’s best player in October 2022, the French striker had left Santiago Bernabeu and said his final goodbyes to European football by June 2023. A spectacular 14 years at Madrid saw Benzema score 354 goals, win four La Liga championships, and win five Champions League titles.

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When he joined Al-Ittihad, he chose to join former Blancos teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle East. He explained his decision to the Saudi Pro League’s official media as follows: “With everything I’ve made and gained with Real Madrid, I think it was for me the good moment to try a new challenge. And for a really long time, even before football, I always wanted to come here. And the football project came in. It was a project that was just starting to burst from everywhere, so on my side I really wanted to be part of the story. I really wanted to help Saudi football grow.”

Benzema is convinced that he made the right career move at 35 years of age and has been pleasantly surprised by the standard of football in a region that has often been overlooked by those in Europe. 

He added: “I feel the love of the people here, so obviously that makes me happy and I try to return that love on the pitch. There is a lot of passion, there is history behind that. There are the fans and everything that goes with that. I’m really surprised and pleased about the level of the game here, really surprised because in Europe we don’t watch much football from here – nowadays we are watching more and more because of the big names they signed.”

After overcoming an injury issue, Benzema has scored six goals in 11 games for Al-Ittihad this season. He is looking to help his present club maintain their domestic title amid increasing competition from rivals who now have star-studded rosters of their own.