by Salvatore Riggio
Former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema is out of the squad at Al Ittihad because he wants to return to Europe, regretful. The Saudi League wants to transfer him to another team (from the Pif fund)
Karim Benzema represents the Saudi League’s move of desperation. In Saudi Arabia at the end of 2023 the French striker had become a case, after having asked for three days’ leave to return to Madrid because he regretted the decision to leave Europe and was distressed by how he was giving his first season to Al Ittihad, in a championship that has focused on him to have as many stars as possible and increase the collection of champions, after the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo a year ago.
Except that Benzema no longer responded to his managers, who granted him a few more days of rest, disappeared from social media and showed up for training a few days later than the established date, Friday 12 January. A behavior that his team didn’t like at all and which also infuriated the coach, Marcelo Gallardo. Enough to put him out of the squad indefinitely.
From that moment on, the transfer rumors regarding the Frenchman became even more insistent. Especially from the Premier League, which can’t wait to welcome a champion like Benzema. So what does the Saudi League do? Having no intention of letting him run away, as he is an asset for the entire Saudi football movement, he is studying a sensational move: moving him to another team.
Probably in one of Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, i.e. those belonging to the Pif fund (to which Al Ittihad also belongs) which are the richest in the country. Because the objective is not to lose another valuable piece – Henderson moved to the Eredivisie, in the Netherlands, to wear the Ajax shirt – and to protect the future of the league. In order to achieve this objective, the Federation then decides to move a champion like Benzema just for the pleasure of keeping him and safeguarding the first football movement. A situation that perhaps makes us understand better how the Saudi League is not yet a solid reality.
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January 22, 2024 (modified January 22, 2024 | 12:04)
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