Almost 37 years old, Karim Benzema is the last representative of the famous 87 generation. After Samir Nasri and Hatem Ben Arfa, Jérémy Menez has in turn hung up his boots, starting last weekend a new job as a consultant for DAZN. But according to Revelo, the former Madrilenian would also be thinking of retiring. Despite a contract that runs until June 2026, KB9 could say stop at the end of the season.
The 2022 Ballon d’Or would find it increasingly difficult to cope with the constraints linked to his job and in particular travel far from his family. Arriving in Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023, the Lyonnais had a complicated first season at Al-Ittihad, to say the least, marked by conflicting relationships with the two coaches who succeeded each other at the head of the team, Jorge Jesus and Marcelo Gallardo. But he has come back to life since the start of the season and the arrival of Laurent Blanc on the bench of the Jeddah club.
Karim Benzema, fourth highest paid player in the world
While Al-Ittihad, with 12 victories in 13 days, recently took the lead in the championship at the expense of Al-Hilal, the reigning champion, Karim Benzema has 10 goals and 3 assists in 10 matches. But weariness is visibly felt. To the point of giving up on some 100 million euros.
Because if he decides to leave Al-Ittihad at the end of the season, possibly to become an ambassador for Real Madrid, Karim Benzema will sit on the last year of his contract and therefore on the 96 million euros he receives every season in Saudi Arabia. Emoluments which make him the fourth highest paid player in the world, only ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, paid 262 million euros by Al-Nassr, Lionel Messi, who would receive 124 million at Inter Miami, and Neymar, who receives 101 million in Al-Ittihad.
