Karim Benzema's departure from Real Madrid to join Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia is primarily motivated by money. However, not everyone knows that the French striker had previously refused to extend his contract with Real Madrid due to a lack of salary increase.
The reason behind Karim Benzema's decision not to continue his career at Real Madrid until retirement is related to wage issues. This information was recently revealed in a conversation between former footballer Pedja Mijatovic of Real Madrid and journalist Antonio Romero on the radio show "El Larguero" on Cadena SER.
Initially, Mijatovic and Romero were discussing Luka Modric's contract extension to continue playing for Real Madrid until retirement. The conversation then shifted to Benzema. Romero stated, "Benzema has a contract extension clause, but he frowned upon realizing that he would still receive the same salary. Modric has never mentioned money matters with Real Madrid. He also did not take advantage of the offers he received to gain negotiation leverage."
This disclosure explains why, despite achieving numerous accolades and becoming an icon at the Bernabeu, Benzema was determined to leave. Simply put, in Saudi Arabia, he will receive a significant amount of money. His contract with Al-Ittihad even makes him the second-highest-paid player in the world, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo.
Specifically, Benzema will earn a salary of €100 million per season in a contract that runs until 2025, with an additional one-year extension clause. This means that the 35-year-old striker will pocket around €200-300 million in the near future, as Saudi Arabia does not impose personal income tax. In contrast, if he had stayed at Real Madrid, he would have only received €14 million per season after tax.
