Benzema quashes exit rumors and says he is happy at Al-Ittihad

• He says he is happy playing for Al Ittihad
• He refuted claims that his relationship with his manager Marcello Gallardo is questionable
• Rumor had it that he wanted to return to Europe

Kareem Benzema is a professional footballer who plays for the Saudi club Al Ittihad and despite the rumour that he was not happy at the club, he has refuted the claims and also said that his relationship with his club manager is okay.

Initially, he played for Real Madrid and followed the footsteps of other football stars when he secured a lucrative transfer deal in the Middle East, in a big-money transfer. Six months after his transfer to Al Ittihad, rumour had it that the French footballer was not satisfied with the club and was seeking a return to Europe.

He was said to have some negotiations with Manchester United and was linked with a return to Los Blancos though no transfer was materialized. This cropped up after he missed a training camp with his teammates in Dubai, which resulted in him being left out of the squad for their Saudi Pro League match.

Benzema resumed after his holiday last month and came with a victory over Al-Riyadh. He claimed that he had no intentions to leave the Saudi Pro League and dismissed the speculation regarding his desire to return to Europe as propaganda.

Karim Benzema. Photo/Eurosport

He added that he has no conflict with the Saudi club manager Marcello Gallardo. He said that he was happy with the new challenge encountered in a Muslim country, where he aims to raise his club to the same level as the European leagues.

Karim Benzema Career

Karim Benzema is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains the Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time.

Born in France to Algeria parents, he began his career with Lyon, where he won the Ligue 1 title and after some seasons with the club, he joined Real Madrid.

His seasons at Madrid were incredible as he won 24 trophies including five UEFA Champions League titles, four La Liga titles and three Copa del Rey titles, which gave him a title for the second-highest goalscorer behind Christiano Ronaldo.

He also played internationally for France and was part of the team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. The forward made his senior debut for France in 2007 and was a member of the France team that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Benzema left Real Madrid for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad where he has continued showcasing his talent amidst rumors that he is dissatisfied with the club.

Reasons for Benzema’s allegations of dissatisfaction with Al-Ittihad

Since months after joining the Saudi Pro League club, there have been speculations that Benzema is not satisfied playing for the club. Some media reports suggest that the head coach of the club didn’t recognize his play style as suitable for his team’s tactics and reportedly didn’t request the transfer himself.

Karim Benzema. Photo/Eurosport

On joining the club, he didn’t score in his first few games, potentially contributing to concerns about his adjustment. After his holiday last month, the player returned and was excluded from training and missing games due to a late return, adding to the speculation.

However, he dismissed the speculations saying that he was happy playing for the club and had no conflicts with his manager Marcelo Gallardo, and videos from the public have surfaced, Benzema seemingly happy and interacting with the coach and team.

Benzema’s response to transfer speculations

Six months after joining Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad from Real Madrid, there were speculations about the player wanting to leave the club due to dissatisfaction with the club and conflicts with his manager.

However, he refuted the claims saying that he was okay with the club and that he is not in any way in negotiations with the European clubs as rumour suggested, and is aiming at making his club get to the European level.