The time has come to say goodbye to Real Madrid and Karim Benzema, at the insistence of the French striker of Algerian roots who has worn the shirt of the biggest club in the world since 2009.
There are few players who can boast of having been successful at Real for so long, even fewer who left the "Santiago Bernabeu" of their own free will. And that when they were at the peak of their "power" in the Spanish capital...
Benzema is going to Saudi Arabia, it is not yet confirmed although he is expected to sign for Al Ittihad. Some information even indicates that Benzema will be contractually bound to the Ministry of Sports of Saudi Arabia and that it will decide where he will continue his career.
Wherever Benzema plays in the coming period, even though the figures have been confirmed by several parties - he will receive 200 million euros in two years, with the option to continue the cooperation for a third season as well.
The financial details, of course, ruled. So Benzema, despite a verbal agreement with Real to stay, decided to leave Madrid as soon as his contract expired at the end of June.
"Real Madrid and our captain Karim Benzema have agreed to end his brilliant and unforgettable period at the club. Real remains Karim's house", announced Real on the official website.
THE FAMOUS 14 YEARS
In 2009, Benzema arrived at Real from Lyon for 35 million euros, with the fact that the transfer, quickly counting the bonuses, totaled 41 million. It was not a small sum of money at the time, but the situation in the football market has changed so much that from this perspective the transfer of Benzema seems as if it was made by Sevilla or Betis, and not by the most famous club in history.
Already from the first season in the white shirt, he confirmed that he was a reinforcement, but Real waited until 2014 for the title of European champion, so Benzema - as a striker who scored goals and missed a lot of chances - was often labeled as one of the culprits that the great cannot conquer Europe.
Results and trophies came later, but Benzema's role was not so pronounced until Cristiano Ronaldo left the club, in whose shadow he was, and for whom, after all, he did "a million" things on the field. Only with the departure of the Portuguese to Juventus in 2018 did Karim show everyone how important he really is...
Karim Benzema has won 24 trophies with Real Madrid since 2009. He even won the Champions League cup five times, he was the club world champion as many times, and he also has four titles in La Liga.
"Karim has been an example of a great professional for 14 years at Real and is a true representative of the values of our club. As such, he earned the right to choose his future, and we wanted to respect his wish," wrote Real.
As many as 643 games were played by Benzema for Real, he scored 354 goals (he is the second best scorer in the history of the club), he also registered 165 assists, which is the record. It was also recorded that in 14 years in Madrid, he did not receive a single red card. And trophies are a separate story, they define whether a soccer player is a Real legend...
For Benzema, there is no doubt that he is - he was the European champion five times with the "royal club", and he has the same number of club world championship titles. He also won four Spanish championship titles, as many cups in the European Super Cup, and three each in the King's Cup and the Spanish Super Cup. Total - 24!
GOLDEN BALL AS CONFIRMATION OF DOMINATION
And on an individual level, Benzema reached the stars, of course as a striker for Real. The top form in which the 35-year-old from Lyon has played in recent seasons culminated in 2022, when he won the biggest individual award in football - the Ballon d'Or awarded by France Football.
Karim Benzema scored 354 goals in Real Madrid and is the second best scorer in the club's history. He also has 165 assists, making him the record holder
It was expected, just like the UEFA Player of the Year award, because Benzema in 2022 was most responsible for Real winning the Champions League and La Liga.
"Suddenly there is a void, a man is leaving who in today's football was not only a number nine, but also a number ten, eight, seven, five... In 2009, few people understood who Real brought in and what type of player Karim is. He grew little by little and reached heights - to the Ballon d'Or," wrote the columnist of the Madrid "Marka" Miguel Ángel Lara.
THE ONLY Blemish - REPRESENTATION
If there is a blemish on Karim Benzema's career, it is the French national team. In the beginning, he had problems due to a slightly weaker form at Real (he did not play at Euro 2010 because the coach Rajmon Domenek estimated that he did not have a good enough season), and later everything happened - at least it had to do with the games and what he showed on the field.
Football fans remember well that Benzema was not in the national team from 2016 to 2020, and they probably also remember the reason - the then and current coach Didije Dešan kicked him out of the team after the forward was accused in November 2015 of participating in blackmail with explicit photos and videos of teammate Matje Valbuena. The process lasted for years, Benzema was not in the national team during that time, and in 2021 it was confirmed that he was guilty - he received a suspended sentence of one year and had to pay 75 thousand euros. After he was not invited to the national team for the European Championship 2016, Benzema "struck" the head coach Deschamps:
- He succumbed to the pressure of racist elements in France - Benzema said then.
And that was eventually forgotten, Deschan and Benzema reconciled and worked together again (the footballer played at the Euros two years ago), but it seems that everything definitely broke in the winter when the now former Real striker skipped the World Cup in Qatar.
This time too, it could not be without controversy, as Benzema accused Deschamps of not wanting to wait for him to recover from his injury. Benzema, as he later claimed, could be ready to help the "tricolors" in the knockout phase. France reached the final in Qatar without him, where Messi's Argentina was better on penalties.
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