This time, the break is complete. Karim Benzema, feeling under “pressure” at Al-Ittihad, asked to “temporarily” leave the club, which offered him a loan to another team in the Saudi championship, AFP learned on Tuesday from a source close to the club. The option of leaving for another Saudi club was refused by the player, who feels “unable to give the best of himself to Al-Ittihad because of the pressure”, specified the same source. Contacted by AFP, the Frenchman’s entourage, under contract until 2026, did not wish to confirm this information.
The former Real Madrid player, aged 36 and under fire for his poor performance at his new club, went on leave more than three weeks ago after deactivating his Instagram account, followed by 76 million people. He returned to Jeddah last Thursday 17 days late. On Friday, a “very lively” and “heated” meeting on the future of the 2022 Ballon d’Or was held between the club’s board of directors, coach Marcel Gallardo and Karim Benzema, the source said on Tuesday.
The Frenchman trains “alone”
Since his return on Thursday, the Frenchman has been training “alone” in Jeddah and has not joined his teammates currently training in Dubai, “for disciplinary reasons”. “There is no option for Benzema to leave this month,” however, indicated a source close to the Saudi Sovereign Fund (PIF). This season, Karim Benzema has scored 9 goals and 5 assists, far behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 20 goals and 9 assists with Al-Nassr.
Al-Ittihad, 7th in the Saudi Pro League after three consecutive defeats, is the team which has conceded the most goals in the league and which has scored the fewest among the four teams bought by the rich Saudi Sovereign Fund (PIF). The championship is scheduled to resume on February 7.
2024-01-23 13:45:00
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