Karim Benzema wants to bring trophies to his new club, Al Hilal, which he calls "the Real Madrid of Asia."
The French striker rejected a contract extension to stay at Al Ittihad beyond June and instead joined Saudi league leaders Al Hilal on Monday.
Speaking for the first time since his transfer, the former Real Madrid captain told the club's website that he is happy, while comparing his new team to legendary Spanish club Real Madrid.
"It's good. I'm happy to be here. After my first training with the team, with the coach, I'm very happy and satisfied to be part of this team. It's a good team, with a good history. They've won a lot of trophies," Benzema initially said.
"It's similar, like Real Madrid in Asia. Everything is good, the fans are good, they play well, they have good players, they have a good mentality. I liked this team before. I played against them with Madrid and it wasn't an easy match. It was a good match, so I have good memories. Today I'm happy because I'm an Al Hilal player," the Frenchman concluded.
According to sources, the 38-year-old felt disrespected by the contract extension Al Ittihad had offered him. The deal with Al Ittihad from the Saudi Professional League, which deals with the contracts of key players at clubs owned by the PIF (Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund), would have effectively seen the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner play for free.
Benzema, who had offers from European clubs, decided to stay in Saudi Arabia, partly because his image rights contract there runs until 2030.
His transfer to Al Hilal, which was orchestrated by the PIF, has angered Benzema's former Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who captains rivals Al Nassr.
According to sources, Ronaldo refused to play for his club on Monday in protest because the PIF was not investing enough in Al Nassr and was instead giving an advantage to Al Hilal.
Ronaldo is looking to win his first major title with Al Nassr and his team is second in the Saudi Professional League standings, one point behind Al Hilal.
Benzema arrived in Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023, having won 25 trophies with Real Madrid, including four La Liga, three Copa del Rey and five Champions League titles.
He has scored eight goals in 14 league games this season, while his first match with Al Hilal will be the league match on Thursday at Al-Okhdood Club. /Telegraph/
