From the primary group video that emerged after Karim Benzema arrived at Al Ittihad, the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner did not look snug.
Sat alone in the back of the coach, Benzema awkwardly watched his teammates rhythmically serenade their new talisman. Despite the obvious discomfort, Benzema marked his debut with a luxurious successful purpose.
The honeymoon interval did not final lengthy. At the midway stage of the season, the reigning top-flight champions path table-topping Al Hilal by 25 factors. Benzema can boast as many league objectives (9) as ex-Barcelona misfit Malcom and 5 fewer than Tottenham Hotspur ‘hall-of-famer’ Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.
Consequently, Benzema is reported to be looking for an escape route – though any switch might show complicated given the quite a few layers of paperwork that must sanction a transfer.
How did it come to this?
During the 2022/23 marketing campaign, Benzema claimed the Ballon d’Or, whereas Aleksandar Mitrovic did not even win Fulham’s participant of the season. Yet, when the pair went head-to-head in the primary Saudi Classico of the present marketing campaign, Mitrovic emerged with a victorious hat-trick.
Benzema discovered the web himself, deftly flicking past Al Hilal’s Yassine Bounou as Al Ittihad raced right into a 3-1 half-time lead. But the Tigers had no reply for the indefatigable visiting right-back Saud Abdulhamid, who swung the ball in for Mitrovic’s first two objectives.
The burly Serbian accomplished his treble with an equaliser from the penalty spot earlier than Salem Al Dawsari somersaulted throughout the pitch in celebration of his unlikely winner in the 71st minute. Al Ittihad led the league with out conceding a purpose earlier than Al Hilal punctured Benzema’s vivid begin. They haven’t recovered since.
As Al Ittihad ready for their AFC Champions League opener towards Uzbekistan’s OKMK Olmaliq, Benzema confronted the media as regular. The Frenchman failed to say that he wouldn’t characteristic in the match. Throughout the season, Benzema has grimaced and groaned about varied niggling points. During his final 12 months with Real Madrid, the 36-year-old missed 15 video games as a consequence of health complaints.
Benzema was compelled to sit down out 5 consecutive matches with out Al Ittihad formally confirming the explanation for his absence as September bled into October. Then, simply as mysteriously as he stepped away, Benzema reappeared for the go to of an Al Ahli with Roberto Firmino and Riyad Mahrez.
The Tigers did not lose as soon as throughout Benzema’s unexplained departure but didn’t win the primary 4 league video games of his return. After a 1-0 defeat to Al Ahli, Benzema opened the scoring towards high-flying Al Taawoun. Yet, inside 4 first-half minutes, Benzema inadvertently picked out his personal web, flinching at a nook kick which skidded off his head and previous Marcelo Grohe.
During this barren stretch, the reigning champions had been additionally held to a 2-2 draw by lowly Al Hazem, the facet propping up the Saudi top-flight desk.
Beyond his battles with a brand new nation, membership and local weather, Benzema has needed to face up to unfounded accusations from point-scoring politicians again in France. After posting a message of solidarity to “the people of Gaza” on social media because the Israel-Hamas battle unfolded in October, Benzema was singled out by French inside minister Gerald Darmanin.
“Benzema is notoriously linked with the Muslim Brotherhood,” Darmanin declared on French broadcaster CNews, “we all know it.” The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist motion that’s banned in a number of nations, together with Benzema’s new residence Saudi Arabia.
Darmanin provided no proof and Benzema has refuted the accusations, launching a authorized case towards the French politician in January. “I am aware of the extent to which, because of my notoriety, I am being used in political games,” Benzema noticed, “which are all the more scandalous given that the dramatic events since 7 October deserve something quite different from this type of statement.”
The first glints of discontent between Benzema and Nuno Espirito Santo emerged as early as August. The present Nottingham Forest boss had led Al Ittihad to the membership’s first league title since 2009 however struggled to recapture that spark with a newly star-studded group.
Nuno dismissed these summer season stories of discontent as “bullsh*t” however was now not in a place to defend his relationship with the Frenchman when rumours of a decisive dressing room spat emerged in November.
As Al Ittihad trailed Iraq’s Air Force Club 1-0 at half-time in a Champions League tie, Nuno allegedly took his ire out at Benzema. “You are a great player, but it seems that you are being lazy in putting pressure on the opponent,” the supervisor advised his captain, as reported by Saudi publication Arriyadiyah.
Benzema questioned why he was being singled out and Nuno defined: “You are the team leader, the players’ role model, and the most important player in it. You must take the lead and be an example for all the players.”
Within ten minutes of the restart, Al Ittihad conceded once more and limped to a shock defeat. Nuno was sacked the next day.
Al Ittihad earned a spot at this winter’s Club World Cup because the reigning league champions of the host nation. Yet, earlier than the Tigers might arrange a glamour tie towards one of many South American or European giants, they fell by the hands of Egyptian outfit Al Ahly in entrance of their very own followers.
Benzema had the possibility to equalise for Al Ittihad, now below the stewardship of former River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo, in the primary half solely to have his penalty brilliantly saved by Mohamed El Shenawy.
The Frenchman ultimately discovered the web however solely after 92 minutes had elapsed and together with his facet already trailing by three objectives. That painful defeat would show to be the primary of three consecutive losses to see out the calendar 12 months, culminating in a 5-2 thrashing dished out by Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.
C’est plus comme avant ☄️ pic.twitter.com/bXAJ6EKD7n
— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) November 19, 2023
As the Saudi prime flight took a mid-season break for the Asian Cup, Benzema jetted off to Mauritius on vacation. Initial stories prompt the participant was given some additional day without work by Gallardo earlier than the Argentine banned him fully from the group’s coaching camp in Dubai as he didn’t materialise.
90min understands that Benzema’s excuse for his delay, specifically a cyclone warning stopping any flights from the tropical island, was real. Nevertheless, by the point Benzema returned to the membership, 17 days late, he performed a “raging” assembly with supervisor Gallardo, per AFP.
Despite an prolonged keep on the seashore, Benzema claimed to be below an excessive amount of “pressure” to ship his finest performances for Al Ittihad. The Tigers are famed for their passionate fanbase and boast the third-highest common attendance in the Pro League (19,870) however Benzema is hardly unfamiliar with a demanding crowd after 14 years at Real Madrid.
Lyon have distanced themselves from a transfer for their former participant, citing his exorbitant wages, however Benzema remains to be eagerly eyeing an exit, even on a “temporary” foundation.
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