Karim Benzema joins Saudi Arabia and signs a three-year contract with the Al-Ittihad club

Mentioned for several days, the signing of Karim Benzema in Saudi Arabia is official. The 2022 Ballon d’Or signed on Tuesday, June 6, with the Al-Ittihad club, located in Jeddah, the country’s second city, for a 3-year contract. At 35, the French striker grabbed the financial gold bridge offered by the Saudi championship, a few months after his former teammate at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo. Benzema ended 14 years with the Merengues on Sunday.

For the French international, this departure for the Arabian Peninsula is a big financial blow according to the state television channel Al-Ekhbariya, which evokes a “record” salary. Saudi Arabia and its local championship, the Saudi Pro League, is trying to develop at high speed thanks to juicy financial offers to big names in football. At Al-Ittihad, Karim Benzema will also have the opportunity to add to his record as he joins the defending champion, who will also play in the Asian Champions League.

After a good year in 2022 which saw him win a fifth Champions League, Karim Benzema experienced a slightly more difficult 2022-2023 exercise, between physical problems and less flashy results with Real Madrid (2nd in the Spanish championship, eliminated in the C1 semi-finals).