Primera División: Benzema leaves Real Madrid after 14 years – “A legend”

Primera Division
Benzema leaves Real Madrid after 14 years – ‘A legend’

Karim Benzema leaves Real Madrid and is said to be facing a move to Saudi Arabia. photo

© Jon Super/AP/dpa

After 14 years at Real Madrid, star striker Karim Benzema is leaving the record Spanish champions. On Tuesday there should be a farewell party for the 35-year-old Frenchman in the “Royal” training center in Valdebebas in the north-east of Madrid, the club said.

After 14 years at Real Madrid, star striker Karim Benzema is leaving the record Spanish champions. On Tuesday there should be a farewell party for the 35-year-old Frenchman in the “Royal” training center in Valdebebas in the north-east of Madrid, the club said.

“Real Madrid want to show all their gratitude and affection to the man who is already one of our greatest legends,” it said. Where Benzema is going has not been officially announced for the time being. According to media reports, however, he will probably follow his former clubmate Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia. Benzema, whose contract in Madrid expires on June 30, was offered an annual salary of 100 million euros in the Gulf state, it said.

Reports: Benzema ahead of move to Saudi Arabia

According to reports from Saudi state television, Benzema will play at club Al-Ittihad in the future. Accordingly, the Frenchman agreed with the club from Jeddah on a contract term of two years.

Benzema moved from Olympique Lyon to Madrid in the summer of 2009 at the age of 21. The World Player of the Year 2022 played 647 competitive games for Real, in which he scored 353 goals. He is number two behind the Portuguese Ronaldo (451) in the all-time top scorer list of the traditional club. The center forward won a total of 25 titles with Real, including the Champions League five times, often alongside Toni Kroos. “A brilliant and unforgettable stage,” wrote the club in farewell.

dpa

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