Monday evening, Karim Benzema made the nets tremble for the 18th time of the season during the victory of Al-Ittihad against Al-Ettifaq (3-2). A performance that seriously brings him closer to Cristiano Ronaldo, leader in the scorer ranking in Saudi Arabia with 23 achievements. Questioned in the mixed zone on this digital rivalry with his former accomplice of Real Madrid, Benzema cut short: “I have nothing to do with it, my friend. The most important thing is the trophies” A statement that immediately reacted.
But as often with Benzema, you have to go beyond appearances. It is not the man who provokes, but the one who remains faithful to his principles. The French striker never ran after individual distinctions. Even at the top of his career, during his Ballon d'Or in 2022, he underlined that this coronation rewarded a collective logic. His refusal to comment on the race for goals against Ronaldo is part of this philosophy: the collective above all.
Top scorer? Benzema refers Ronaldo to the strings
And if it was still necessary to doubt the relationship between the two legends, their last hugs on the lawn in the Saudi championship dissipated the misunderstandings. There is a reciprocal esteem between Benzema and Ronaldo, built over a decade of success common to Real Madrid. The French, discreet and faithful, has never given in to the temptation of the media outpouring.
The scorer war? Benzema washes his hands
With 18 league goals, Benzema remains one of the pillars of Al-Ittihad, even in an exercise marked by injuries and criticism. At 36, he continued to carry his team with lucidity and efficiency. And if Ronaldo had style in the final classification, there is no doubt that he would live this with the same restraint.
Benzema does not play for the spotlight. His declaration is a reminder: altruism is not a renunciation, but a way of being. A philosophy which, as Spinoza wrote, raises man by man.
