Despite an initial desire to extend his adventure for a season at Real Madrid, Karim Benzema has finally decided to give in to the sirens of Saudi Arabia, where a huge contract awaits him.
Even if they will not play for the same club, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo will soon meet again on the pitch. After having been teammates at Real Madrid for a long time, the Frenchman and the Portuguese will therefore be opponents this time in the Saudi Arabian championship. Indeed, this Sunday, KB9 announced its departure from Madrid after 14 years of good and loyal service. Second top scorer in the history of the Casa Blanca behind CR7, the former Lyonnais bade farewell to the Bernabeu public on Sunday. To take the direction of Saudi Arabia? Probably. In any case, this is what the Saudi state channel Al-Ekhbariya assures, for which the Al-Ittihad club is preparing to welcome the French striker for the next two seasons. To achieve its ends, the Saudi Arabian champions offered a jackpot of 200 million euros to the last Ballon d’Or. A check that Benzema simply could not refuse, according to Habib Beye.
“Financial conditions impossible to refuse”
🗨️ “At 35, you have to think about your retraining. 200 million euros, it’s impossible to refuse”
Habib Beye reacts to the offer made by Saudi Arabia to acquire Karim Benzema 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/TKo9KGU1kB
– CANAL+ Foot (@CanalplusFoot) June 4, 2023
“When you’ve won 40 million euros and you can win 200, it’s not the same thing. During my career, I also made a choice related to money. But I think that at 35, you have to think about your retraining. Post-career is always difficult for a footballer. You have to realize that the player has a family, and when you are offered this check, it is difficult to refuse it, even if Benzema has been playing at the highest level until now. Hats off to this career, but he has the right to take on this challenge which will offer him financial conditions that are impossible to refuse.”, launched the Canal + consultant, who therefore believes that no big player can refuse the advances of Saudi Arabia. Suffice to say that Leo Messi, courted by Barça following his departure from PSG, could follow the path of his former enemies at Real by joining the Gulf for an even higher check.
Many are those who are still surprised by the words of the Canal + consultant. Because it is clear that before joining Real Madrid, Karim Benzema has probably already prepared for his retirement, that of his children and his whole family, probably over a few generations. And justifying this sporting choice only by financial prudence can make you smile. Yes Karim Benzema is right to take this money offered to him, but from there to make it a question of the future…
