Srinagar: The current Ballon d’Or holder and Real Madrid superstar footballer Karim Benzema was unveiled in Saudi Arabia in a glittering ceremony as Al-Ittihad player.
The former French striker Benzema was officially unveiled as the new Al-Ittihad player in front of a huge and exciting 60,000 supporters inside the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.
Benzema is the second new name to join the Saudi Pro League, following in the footsteps of his former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Giving out the main reasons for chosing Saudi Arabia despite various offers, Benzema said, “Because I am Muslim and it’s a Muslim country. I’ve always wanted to live there. I’ve already been to Saudi Arabia and I feel good about it”. “To me it’s where I want to be… I hope for my new club, what I’ll be able to bring is my football and most importantly to be able to win titles.”
There are more names linked to play in the Middle East with the likes of N’golo Kante, Luis Suarez and others too rumoured to be on the verge of signing.
The initial interest from Saudi Arabia for Benzema was back in April and on Wednesday it was reported that Al-Ittihad believed they were on the cusp of landing the superstar.
The second-highest goal scorer in Real Madrid history behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who also plays in Saudi Arabia, Benzema claimed the 2022 Ballon d’Or after winning his fifth UCL crown with Madrid.
There was the belief that he would stay for one more season until the summer of 2024 but now he’s off for a growingly popular destination in the Middle East.