Despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s opposition to a move to the Saudi leadership, Karim Benzema believes Al Hilal have a top-tier team and has declared them the Real Madrid of Asia
Karim Benzema moves to Al Hilal – much to Cristiano Ronaldo’s dissatisfaction (Image: Getty Images)
Karim Benzema called Al Hilal the “Real Madrid of Asia” and praised the team’s quality, but Cristiano Ronaldo was furious at the decision to join the Saudi Professional League leaders.
Benzema’s contract with Al Ittihad was expiring and he moved to their Saudi rivals, angered by their offer to essentially play for free.
He was one of a number of signings with league leaders, who also signed forward Mohamed Meite from Rennes, former Arsenal defender Pablo Marie from Fiorentina and two Saudi internationals, Murad Al Hawsawi and Sultan Mandash.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, tried to stop Benzema’s move by putting pressure on the authorities, believing that he was nothing compared to Al Nasr. The club’s owners, PIF, are frustrated by a lack of investment in the Portuguese star, who is yet to win a title since moving to the Middle East.
And now, Benzema, who won the Ballon d’Or just four years ago, has risen in quality through the ranks of Al Hilal as they look to win another title ahead of Al Nasr.
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“It’s good. I’m happy to be here. After my first training with the team and the coach, I’m very happy to be part of this team. It’s a great team and we have a good history. They have won many trophies,” the Frenchman said on the club’s website.
“It’s similar to Real Madrid in Asia. Everything is going well, the fans are good, they play well, the players are good, the mentality is good. I’ve always liked this team. We played against them in Madrid before, but it wasn’t an easy game. It was a good game and I have good memories. I’m happy today because I’m an Al Hilal player.”
Cristiano Ronaldo strikes at Al Nasr (Image: Yasser Bakhsh, Getty Images)
Benzema had offers from European clubs, but decided to remain in Saudi Arabia due to a contract for image rights until 2030. In light of the Frenchman’s move to Al Hilal, Ronaldo on Monday refused to play for his club in protest of growing dissatisfaction with the PIF.
There are expectations that the Saudi Pro League will pursue signing big names this summer. They would have the financial wherewithal to pursue targets like Mohamed Salah and Vinicius Junior. The departure of some of the league’s top earners, such as N’Golo Kante, created a void that needed to be filled.
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