Among the first to join Saudi Arabia, a country of which he is also one of the official ambassadors, Karim Benzema is establishing himself a little more firmly in the Gulf countries despite the end of his adventure in the Saudi championship. The 2022 Ballon d’Or has just completed a major operation in the United Arab Emirates by acquiring several luxury residences located in Dubai.
The French striker chose a pharaonic project: the futuristic Mercedes-Benz Places – Binghatti City complex. Developed by the Emirati developer Binghatti in the Nad Al Sheba district, near Meydan, this program with an estimated value of 30 billion dirhams (approximately 7.6 billion euros) represents the very first urban community of nearly 930,000 m² stamped by the famous German automobile manufacturer.
Among the properties acquired, the former Real Madrid player reserved a high-end unit in the heart of the architectural jewel of the masterplan: the Vision Iconic Tower, for a price of around 20 million euros. With its 78 floors and 341 meters in height, this tower will include 1,426 housing units (from T2 to royal suites) as well as 27 commercial premises. Intended to become the highest point of the project, it will sit at the center of 12 other residential skyscrapers, forming a colossal ensemble of more than 13,000 homes with hotel services and vast landscaped spaces.
Karim Benzema as Neymar
The formalization of this transaction was staged during a major ceremony organized at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. This is where the footballer signed his commitment to Abdullah Binghatti, commercial director of the group, in the presence of President Muhammad Binghatti as well as numerous investors and personalities from the sector.
This acquisition confirms a fundamental trend among very high-level athletes, who are actively preparing for their post-career by investing their capital in exceptional real estate. Dubai thus continues to attract the international stars of the discipline: before Benzema, other major players like Neymar (who acquired a Sky Mansion there for 50 million euros), Aymeric Laporte or Karim Bellarabi had also given in to the attractions of the promoter’s ultra-luxurious programs.
