June 8, 2023, 9:00 PM
June 8, 2023, 9:00 PM
After failing to attract Lionel Messi to his championship, who preferred Inter Miami and the United States, Saudi Arabia gave a gala reception to Karim Benzema on Thursdaywhich was officially presented to 60,000 fans of Al Ittihad, his new club, in Jeddah.
Benzema posed in a yellow and black shirtthe team colors, with his name on the back next to “2026”, alluding to the year in which his new contract ends.
The fans acclaimed their new idol, who climbed to a podium in the center of the pitch.
The 2022 Ballon d’Or, which signed three years with the Saudi club on an undisclosed salary, he addressed the fans in English to thank them, vowing to lead the club “to the highest level” before dropping an “Assalam o aleikum!” by way of greeting.
The 35-year-old showed off his Ballon d’Or, before taking a lap of honor, sending dedicated balls to the stands.
After 14 years in Madrid, where he won five Champions Leagues, the French international (97 caps for France, 37 goals) opted on Tuesday to join Saudi club Al Ittihad. His signing comes a few months after the arrival in the kingdom of an illustrious former Real Madrid teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Al Nassr, a Riyadh club.
In the stands of the stadium, filled with families, fans waited patiently while listening to music. Welcome messages were seen, sometimes in French (“Je t’aime, Benzema”), as well as Benzema shirts, both the Real Madrid one and the new Al Ittihad one.
Loud music, lights, a fireworks display, a video to praise the player and Benzema’s face projected in 3D mapping in the sky… Everything to prepare the environment before the footballer arrived on the pitch. On the ground was a “KB9” made by lights.
“Why did I choose Al Ittihad? It is a club with many values. It is a club that has just won (the national title), which is always in progress,” he had explained something earlier in French at his presentation press conference.
“I like the ambition and character of the fans. That is why I have chosen this club. The Saudi Arabian fans are welcoming. I have been lucky enough to play games here (…) I have seen, in recent days, a lot of madness. It moved me. I hope to return this affection on the field,” dozens of journalists added earlier.
“I have won many things in Europe. I have signed here with a lot of ambition, to bring my experience, hoping to win many titles. I’m hungry. I still want to play and to show what I can do on the field. To take the club to where it should be, that is, to the top”, added the former Real Madrid striker.
The second highest scorer in the history of Real Madrid, with 354 goals behind Cristiano Ronaldo (450), could be supported at Al Ittihad by a compatriot, midfielder N’Golo Kanté. The club “studies” the results of its “medical tests”an internal source told AFP on Thursday, alluding to the player’s “long history of injuries”, who until now was at Chelsea.
