After a glorious career at Real Madrid, striker Karim Benzema has decided to leave the club as a free agent, the club said in a statement. The Frenchman, who arrived at Los Blancos from Lyon in 2009, has decided not to extend his contract and is set to head to Saudi Arabia to sign a record deal with Al-Ittihad. Benzema will be the second high-profile player to move to Saudi after Cristiano Ronaldo who made a shocking move to Al-Nassr last year after signing a record deal.
Renowned Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the Ballon d’Or winner will head to Saudi next week to complete his move.
According to reports, Benzema will sign a two-year contract worth €400 million with Al-Ittihad, which will make him the highest-paid footballer in the world.
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Earlier, the Real Madrid club thanked Benzema for his services and said that the striker “has earned the right to decide his future.”
“Karim Benzema’s career at Real Madrid has been an example of behavior and professionalism, and has represented the values of our club. Karim Benzema has earned the right to decide his future,” the club said in a statement.
During his 14-year stint with Real Madrid, Benzema won 25 titles. These included 5 Champions League titles, 5 Club World Cups, 4 Super Cups, 4 La Liga titles, 3 Copas del Rey, and 4 Spanish Super Cups.
Benzema represented the Los Blancos in 647 matches, scoring 353 goals. He is also Real Madrid’s second all-time top goalscorer in both, the LaLiga and the Champions League.
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