Karim Benzema leaves Real Madrid and heads to Saudi Arabia – Liberation

The popular Golden Ball leaves Europe. On Sunday, June 4, Real Madrid announced the departure of Karim Benzema. both parties “I agreed to finish the unforgettable wonderful” The career of the 35-year-old Frenchman, who should play his last game on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Bilbao’s reception. Tribute will be organized on Tuesday 6th June, determined by the club at A Official statement.

In the fourteen years he spent in the Spanish capital, the Olympique Lyonnais-trained son of Brun will leave behind him a record and statistics as long as his arm: 647 appearances, 353 goals, 5 Champions Leagues, 4 Leagues or 3 Cups from Spain.

According to the Spanish newspaper like, Who announced his transfer on Wednesday evening, Karim Benzema will sign a golden contract in Saudi Arabia, with the key to an astronomical salary that fluctuates between 100 and 200 million euros annually.

And on Sunday, the information reported by the official Saudi TV channel Al-Ekhbariya confirmed the imminent signing of KB9 with the Saudi Al-Ittihad club. “Al-Ittihad club reached an official agreement with Frenchman Karim Benzema to join their ranks in a contract that extends for two seasons.news says. According to the channel, the club’s president and vice president are in Madrid “officially signed” contract with the target “register”.

Inside the White House, the French forward will shine with his longevity. He will have developed alongside legends like Raul, Casillas, Cristiano Ronaldo and Modric. After arriving at the club in 2009, Benzema established himself over the years as a regular in the Real Madrid squad, pampered by his coaches, from Jose Mourinho to Carlo Ancelotti via Zinedine Zidane. The first teammate of the flamboyant Portuguese, the tricolor has turned into a formidable goalscorer feared by his opponents.

We still remember his impressive performance in the Champions League, such as the second leg in March 2022 against Paris Saint-Germain. After winning the first leg in Paris, the French player tormented his opponents by scoring a hat-trick in the second half, including two goals in two minutes, paving the way for his fifth Champions League victory over Liverpool last June on the field. France.

The club’s second top scorer

His sense of the game, his consistency and his ability in front of goal propelled him to stardom in Madrid despite his advanced age. In October 2022, after a grueling season, “KB9” ended up winning the Ballon d’Or, becoming only the fifth Frenchman to lift this prestigious individual award. The Frenchman is ahead of Spain’s Raul, who is the club’s second top scorer, behind former Portuguese teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Karim Benzema, whose contract with Real Madrid expires in June, has not yet communicated about his departure. Real Madrid expected a quiet one-year extension. But the impressive offer from Saudi Arabia has clearly changed the situation.

Update at 3:15pm with the imminent signing of the contract in Saudi Arabia.