"I'm Muslim and it's important to be in a Muslim country," Benzema said.

After signing for three years on Tuesday at Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, Karim Benzema explained at length the reasons for his choice in a video published by his club on Thursday afternoon: "I feel good and I am happy to join a mythical club. It's going to be a new challenge, a new life and I can't wait to start training. It's a top club in Saudi Arabia, with a lot of passion from the fans and a lot of trophies. »

Read alsoKarim Benzema in Al-Ittihad: 5 minutes to understand the rise of the Saudi Arabian championship

The 2022 Ballon d'Or winner also spoke of more personal reasons: "Why Saudi Arabia? I am Muslim, it is a Muslim country and I want to live there. It's different from Europe but I've been to Saudi Arabia before. I feel good. Above all, it is a Muslim country, which is beautiful, and this is where I want to be. It's important to be in a Muslim country where I already feel that people love me, it will allow me to have a new life. I want to speak Arabic fluently, for me it's important. There are many other things. I am lucky to be in Saudi Arabia, Mecca is close. I'm a believer so it's important to me. I'm in my place, that's where I'm going to feel the best. When I spoke with my family, they were all very happy, they will all come. I know our place is in Saudi Arabia. »

"I'm still hungry to do great things"

After building a huge record with Real Madrid (25 titles), Benzema also wants to continue to shine in the Saudi Pro League. "I was proud to play in Madrid and finish like this. I hope to bring my football to my new club and do everything to win titles. I like to win titles. It's a new story, I'd like to take this club even higher, even if it's already high. It's a club that deserves to be even higher, the stadium is exceptional and the fans have this passion that makes players want to be better. I'm still hungry to do very beautiful things. I have a lot of ambition, I want to do something very well, it's important for me, the country and the club. I want the fans to find themselves in me, I want to leave a very good trace. I still have this fighting spirit to push my limits even more. I hope we have a great season. »

🎙️ Watch the full interview with Karim Benzema! Learn about his ambitions and goals with us next season!#Benzema2Ittihad
#HereToInspireKSA pic.twitter.com/lMSkSPh7AL

— Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) June 8, 2023

He also mentioned his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr. "He's a friend, it's good to have him back and it also shows that Saudi Arabia is starting to rise more and more globally. There are big names, Cristiano on one side and me today. It's important to build Saudi football to have another global impact. You have to push and bring back with me everything I have been able to do in Europe. »