aAfter 14 seasons at Real Madrid, Karim Benzema moved to Saudi Arabia to play for Al Ittihad Jeddah in 2023, nine of those seasons alongside club icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
The French and Portuguese strikers played together at the Spanish club from 2009 to 2018, until CR7 left for Juventus. Currently, Ronaldo is playing for Saudi club Al Nasr and they have reunited as rivals but with controversy.
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After stints at Juventus and Manchester United, Cristiano decided to head to Saudi Arabia in 2023. After some time, Karim also followed in his footsteps, but in a different club.
A few years later, Karim and Cristiano, wearing different jerseys, faced each other in the Round of 16 match of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Champions Cup between Al Ittihad and Al Nasr on October 38th, with Benzema and his team winning (1-2).
However, what attracted attention was their greeting and hug, which many fans described as “cold.” This led to suspicions that there was a rift between the former teammates, but in an interview with the Spanish website AS, the 37-year-old star denied this possibility and put an end to these rumors.
No, please. We talk in the locker room. We hug, we have conversations… and on the field, we can’t and shouldn’t do that again. Lots of respect, we’ll be fine. You don’t need to prove anything. You don’t have to show off anything in front of the TV.
Furthermore, during the interview, the player praised not only his teammates, but also the league and the country, explaining: “Saudi Arabia needs players like Cristiano and myself and other players who came here to give us what we have in Europe. We have to show the kids here what they have to do to go to other clubs. Saudi Arabia is a country that is opening up.”
Karim Benzema played 648 games for Real Madrid, scoring 354 goals and providing 151 assists, while for Al Ittihad he played 75 games and scored 46 goals, winning the league title and the Copa del Rey in the 2024-25 season. This season, the Frenchman has scored five goals in nine games.
