Karim Benzema reactivated his Instagram account and reiterated his attachment to Saudi Arabia despite his recent quarrel with Al-Ittihad.
The former Real Madrid striker deleted his Instagram account after facing heavy criticism from fans following Al-Ittihad’s humiliating 5-2 defeat to Al-Nassr, the Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Benzema was not absent from social media for long as he has now reinstated his account, albeit after a rigorous purge. His approximately 76 million followers remained intact, but he deleted all football-related posts, except for his photo with the Ballon d’Or, and now only follows seven accounts: GQ Middle East, Adidas, Bugatti , Al-Ittihad, Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier and Real Madrid.
Benzema’s future at Al-Ittihad has been the subject of great uncertainty due to allegedly strained relations with manager Marcelo Gallardo. However, the striker insisted that he has no plans to leave the Gulf country and wants to give his best to develop Saudi Arabia’s footballing landscape so that he reaches the level of the European leagues.
Benzema still follows Real Madrid
In an interview with GQ Middle East, Benzema said: “(Being in Saudi Arabia) is a new challenge (and one) that I enjoy – a long-term project and in a Muslim country. I am not only a football player in Saudi Arabia, I am also an ambassador. I am here to bring in great European players in the near future, even if there are already great ones in the Saudi championship.
“Our challenge is to raise the championship to the same level as the European leagues. Time will tell (what happens next), but I will be the one to decide whether my career ends or not… Ultimately, I would like to be remembered as someone who is who started from the bottom of the ladder and made his way to the top on his own, and despite all the obstacles I encountered. It’s something I’m really proud of.”
Benzema reportedly left Al-Ittihad training on Monday after refusing to train alone and was subsequently left out of the squad for the match against Al-Tai. It remains to be seen whether he can repair the relationship with Gallardo and get back to work in the match against Navbahor on February 15 in the AFC Champions League.
