World

Karim Benzema says Cristino Ronaldo has ‘helped elevate football’ in Saudi Arabia

Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema – who was officially unveiled as an Al Ittihad Club player on Thursday in a welcome ceremony played out in front of a packed stadium of fans at the 62,000-capacity King Abdullah Sports City (Jawhara) stadium in Jeddah – has praised fellow Saudi player Christino Ronaldo, saying he has helped ‘elevate’ football in the Kingdom.

Benzema famously created a potent attacking threat alongside Cristiano Ronaldo during a highly successful spell at Real Madrid, and he will be lining up against his former Bernabeu team-mate next season, after the Portuguese sensation joined Al Nassr in Riyadh last term.

Al-Ittihad's fans celebrated Benzema's first appearance in Saudi Arabia ahead of playing for them next season

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Benzema admits that his former team-mate is playing an important role in elevating the standard and profile of Saudi football.

He said: “It’s important also that Cristiano Ronaldo is in Saudi Arabia, because he’s a very big player. He brings a lot to the game in this country and that will further elevate their playing level. So it’s important to show that Saudi football can have a global impact because it’s not about playing in Saudi Arabia or not performing. No, on the contrary I have to push and show all that I was able to do in Europe and and bring it back with me to Saudi Arabia.”

Following an epic Al-Ittihad Club-inspired drone show ahead of the welcome ceremony on Thursday, Benzema addressed the fans for the very first time: “Salam Alaikum! I want to say thank you so much, I hope, inshallah, we’re going to do big things. I chose Al-Ittihad because they’re a great team, they’ve just won the championship and, of course, they have amazing fans, I’m going to do everything I can to put the team in the highest level.”

The French star signed a three-year contract with the Saudi Pro League champions and joins direct from European heavyweights Real Madrid, where his successful 14-season stay brought an incredible 24 trophies including four La Liga, three Copa del Rey and five UEFA Champions League titles.

The French striker wears the yellow and black kit of Al-Ittihad Club for the first time

The high-profile signing has sparked huge excitement among Al-Ittihad Club supporters and football fans across the Kingdom. Benzema was greeted by excited fans after touching down in Jeddah at King Abdulaziz International Airport on Wednesday night, and tens of thousands flocked to the King Abdullah Sports City stadium on Thursday evening to catch a glimpse of their new hero.

A spectacular drone and light show started proceedings for an ecstatic capacity crowd, before star striker Benzema was introduced wearing the number 9 in Al-Ittihad Club’s iconic black and yellow kit. The Frenchman was greeted on the pitch by young boys and girls from Al-Ittihad’s youth program who he’ll be looking to inspire, along with the wider Saudi popular, over the coming three years.

A warm welcome to Karim Benzema to Saudi Arabia

To conclude the evening Benzema lifted his iconic Ballon d’Or trophy, which named him the world’s best player after a truly incredible 2021-22 season, before doing a lap of the Jawharah stadium greeting their passionate fans for the first time.

Earlier in the evening during his first press conference in Saudi Arabia, he added: “The fans are so important, they’re the twelfth player on the pitch, they push you and allow you to do great things on the pitch. I can’t wait to meet them and to share this moment with them, and all the country.

“My family is very happy to be coming to Saudi Arabia. They have been waiting for a long time, I love this country, I’ve had the opportunity to play in Saudi Arabia a couple of times and have come to Saudi twice for Umrah. We’re all very excited to start this journey.”

Benzema’s move to the oldest sports club in Saudi comes on the back of the Saudi Pro League’s most successful season ever, with a record 2,249,161 supporters on the terraces, and fans tuning in to catch the action from 48 different channels and platforms across 170 countries.

Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema was officially unveiled as an Al Ittihad Club player on Thursday in a welcome ceremony played out in front of a packed stadium of fans at the 62,000-capacity King Abdullah Sports City (Jawhara) stadium in Jeddah

“I hope for my new club, what I’ll be able to bring is my football and most importantly to be able to win titles. It’s a new chapter for me and I would like to further advance the club. It’s a club with a lot of passion. I would like the fans to find themselves in me. I would like to leave a lasting legacy, because I love football. I always have this competitiveness to push my limits and go even higher. That’s why I’m going to be well prepared to give them and show them my talent.”

When asked why Saudi Arabia, he simply stated: “Well because I am Muslim and it’s a Muslim country. I’ve always wanted to live there. I’ve already been to Saudi Arabia and I feel good about it. Most importantly it’s a Muslim country, it’s beloved and it’s beautiful. When I had a conversation with my family I was signing with Saudi Arabia, they were all very happy and here I am, to me it’s where I want to be.”

Speaking about the footballing standards of the players in the Saudi Pro League, he added: “I heard a lot of things, it’s a good championship and there are many good players… each year they take go a level higher. I saw the World Cup, they (Saudi Arabia) played a good game, great matches, especially against (eventual World Cup champions) Argentina. Obviously, they have very good players.”

The lure of playing for Al Ittihad, the oldest sports club in Saudi Arabia, was strong for Benzema. Explaining his decision to swap life in Madrid for Jeddah, he said: “It’s one of the top clubs in Saudi Arabia. It’s a club that sees a lot of passion from its fan and has many trophies.

Benzema revealed as number 9 at Al-Ittihad Club

“I would really like to further elevate the club. The stadium is exceptional, and as I said and will repeat; there’s so much passion – a good team always needs fans. The fans are very important, and with that passion, it gives us the motivation to be best on the field.”

Benzema’s signing is part of a new phase in brand building for the SPL, aimed at generating greater global awareness, engaging more Saudi football fans across society, and encouraging greater community participation in sports, as part of Vision2030, the ambitious transformational plan. Over the last season of the Saudi Pro League, Al Ittihad Club welcomed over 600,000 fans, more than any other club in the league and was watched from 48 different channels and platforms across 170 countries.

The striker hopes it will have an impact on football fans all over the country. He said: “The message for all the young people who play football, who love football is to build their dreams, to work hard, to respect the rules of the game, which means respecting the human being, and to always have pleasure in playing football. And never give up; we can always achieve when we put in the work.”

In this handout picture release by the Saudi Pro League on June 6, 2023, French football player Karim Benzema holds the jersey of Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad club as he poses for a picture flanked by Al Ittihad members, in Madrid. (AFP)

On whether his high-profile signing will encourage more women to participate in football, he added: “Football is important for everyone – for women, for men and we see it even in Europe, they have female teams including the Champions League. It’s important to be supportive, and therefore whether it’s men or women, we are here to support. For women, I’m happy to be part of this family.”

Aside from football, Benzema admitted he had other reasons for moving to Saudi Arabia, stating his Muslim faith as playing a big part in the decision. He explained: “I feel people already like me. And it will allow me to have a new life. I would like to learn Arabic and speak fluently, it’s important for me. I’ve already been to Saudi Arabia, Mecca is very close (to Jeddah) and as a believer it’s important for me, this is where I will feel at my best and in my element.”

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