The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema is going through a dark period in Saudi Arabia. After arriving with great fanfare at Al-Ittihad a few months ago, the French player has already alienated influential local media and fans, who have given him a bitter nickname.
At the age of 36, Karim Benzema is going through one of the most difficult periods of his career. After more than thirteen seasons with one of Europe’s biggest clubs, Real Madrid, the Frenchman opted for financial security this summer by signing for Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. In a major drive to modernise their football, the Saudis have been on a star hunt for over a year. Following the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of last year, it is the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner who will be officiating as an unconditional European star in the Saudi Pro League.
Benzema’s complicated situation in Saudi Arabia
After an interesting start with Al Ittihad, who signed other names to support him, such as Ngolo Kanté, Jota and Fabinho, Benzema has entered a complicated period. Despite scoring 13 goals in 21 games, the former Lyon man has been unable to lead his club to the top of the league, as other stars have done with their clubs, such as Mané – Cristiano (Al Nassr), Mitrovic – Koulibaly (Al Hilal). After 17 league games, Al-Ittihad are in 6th place with 28 points, 22 behind Al-Hilal in first place.
A few days ago, Karim Benzema, who returned from a back injury at the start of December, suffered a setback with his club at the Club World Cup. During the quarter-finals of the competition, held in Saudi Arabia, the former Madrid striker struggled against Egyptian side Al-Ahly, missing a penalty that led to a 3-1 humiliation. Since that humiliation, Benzema has come in for constant criticism.
“He makes no effort
In the last match, Marcelo Gallardo, the new coach of Al-Ittihad, decided to substitute the former Real Madrid player in the 75th minute for tactical reasons. The move has raised the stakes in Riyadh, where some observers and fans believe that the 36-year-old Frenchman no longer has the same motivation or the same level of skill as Cristiano Ronaldo, the Saudi Pro League’s other star. According to Walid Al-Farraj, a well-known presenter in the Saudi kingdom, Benzema has disappointed many with his behaviour.
“The gap between Benzema and the fans is widening by the day. He hasn’t played and has never managed to make a single difference. Above all, he makes no effort, as if he were saying to the fans: ‘I’m just having fun with you’ (…) When Ronaldo arrived in January, he showed signs that he wanted to play, but Benzema offers nothing. It’s as if the team doesn’t like him. He’s uncomfortable. I don’t know why,” says the media man, who backs up his comments with the harsh nickname given to the player.
“They called Benzema ‘Ben-Hazima’ (Editor’s note: The son of defeat)”.
“After the Club World Cup elimination against Al-Ahly, a phrase was circulating among some of the fans. They called Benzema ‘Ben-Hazima’ (Editor’s note: the son of defeat). A player who doesn’t give enough of himself. It was as if he was saying to the fans, “Thank God I’m playing for you. The distance between the player and the fans is widening,” said Al-Farraj, whose comments, relayed by L’Equipe, are making the rounds in the Kingdom. The latter was supported by Goal Arabe, who believes that the French star is doing nothing to help his team in this match. “Benzema did nothing remarkable throughout the match, appearing as a guest of honour and not helping his team-mates score goals.
Leave a Reply