After the farewell ceremony at the Bernabeu stadium, striker Karim Benzema wasted no time and flew straight to Saudi Arabia to make his debut for his new club, Al-Ittihad. The French forward signed a promising contract worth up to 600 million euros.
In a swift and decisive move, Benzema arrived in Saudi Arabia just 48 hours after announcing his departure from the Spanish giants, Real Madrid. Al-Ittihad, one of the top teams in the country's national league, welcomed him as their new signing. The deal consists of a two-year contract with an option for an additional season, following the format of a free transfer.
Benzema's contract with Real Madrid expired at the end of this season. The massive deal allows the former Real Madrid striker to pocket 200 million euros per season. In other words, if he stays for the full three-year contract, he will earn 600 million euros. Benzema's swift decision caught many people by surprise.
Throughout most of this season, most Real Madrid fans believed that Benzema would extend his contract with the club for at least one more year. However, in the end, he chose to follow his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo to the "land of oil wells."
"I am very happy and excited to meet all of you in Jeddah. Al-Ittihad presents a new challenge for me. Saudi Arabia has a good league with many quality players. Cristiano Ronaldo has been here. He is a friend who has shown that Saudi Arabia is making significant progress and starting to develop," Benzema expressed in a video posted on Al-Ittihad's social media channels.
"And I'm here to fight, to help the team achieve victories and win titles, just like I have done in Europe," he added enthusiastically during his first remarks in the jersey of his new team.
Benzema is expected to make his debut in front of the fans at the Jeddah stadium later this afternoon (June 7th).
Here are some images of Benzema during the contract signing ceremony with Al-Ittihad.
