Karim Benzema to Al-Ittihad: Cristiano Ronaldo fans welcome Real Madrid icon to Saudi Arabia with memes
Real Madrid's legendary striker Karim Benzema has reportedly signed a contract with Al-Ittihad said to be valid until 2025, sparking massive excitement among Cristiano Ronaldo fans, who are gearing up to see the two face each other in the Saudi Pro League.
FollowA day after Real Madrid confirmed the departure of legendary striker Karim Benzema, who spent 14 trophy-laden years at the Santiago Bernabeu, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the Frenchman has signed for Saudi Arabian giants Al-Ittihad on a two-year contract.
"Karim Benzema has signed main part of docs to become new Al Ittihad player joining the Saudi league — here we go! Understand contract will be valid until 2025 but will also include option for further season. Karim will say goodbye to Madrid fans then travel to Saudi," wrote Romano on Twitter, sparking a massive reaction among fans of the Saudi Pro League.
Interestingly, Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo's fans took to Twitter to welcome Karim Benzema to the Gulf nation, with most awaiting a mouth-watering contest between the two former Real Madrid stars. It is worth noting that during Ronaldo's time with the Los Blancos, his pairing with Benzema was one of football's greatest link-up as the Frenchman proved to be a critical playmaker for the Portuguese talisman.
"Karim Benzema's career at Real Madrid has been an example of behaviour and professionalism and has represented the values of our club. Karim Benzema has earned the right to decide his future," Real Madrid said in a statement on Sunday.
Also read: It's official now: Karim Benzema will leave Real Madrid after 14 years at club
An “institutional act of tribute and farewell to Karim Benzema” will take place at Real Madrid City, with the presence of the club's president Florentino Perez.
At the age of 21, Benzema moved from the French club Lyon, where he had begun his professional football career, to Real Madrid. Since then, Benzema has played for Real in 647 games (across all competitions), appearing in 353 of them and scoring 353 goals. He ranks second all-time for Real Madrid in both LaLiga and the Champions League in terms of goals scored.
During the fourteen seasons at Real Madrid, the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner clinched 25 titles – a record number for the club. These included 5 Champions League titles, 5 Club World Cups, 4 Super Cups, 4 LaLiga titles, 3 Copas del Rey and 4 Spanish Super Cups. Benzema is also the fourth-highest goalscorer in the history of the Champions League and the domestic league, respectively.
The French forward is the current winner of both the Ballon d'Or and the UEFA Player of the Year awards; he took home the former with an astounding 549 votes. For the prized honour, he prevailed against Kevin de Bruyne and Sadio Mane. Additionally, Benzema won the Pichichi Trophy in 2022 and was a member of the FIFA FIFPRO Eleven.
With Benzema's move to Saudi Pro League 2022-23 champions Al-Ittihad reportedly confirmed, here's a look at how Ronaldo fans welcomed the Real Madrid icon:
