Tiktekno: clip summarizing today's events in sport, 9.2/sport1
Karim Benzema did almost everything in January to move from Saudi Arabia back to European football, but in the interview he gave to the fashion magazine "GQ", he sounded completely different and seemed to be enjoying life in the Middle East.
"Being in Saudi Arabia is a new challenge that I like," said the ex-Real Madrid and Al Ittihad striker, "It's a long-term project in a Muslim country. I'm here not only as a footballer, but also as an ambassador. I'm here to attract big European footballers in the near future, even if already There are great players here. The challenge is to reach the level of the leagues in Europe."
The Frenchman scored 12 goals in 20 appearances for Al Ittihad, and his tenure is considered particularly disappointing given the fact that his team, the reigning champions, are ranked sixth and 22 points off the top of the Saudi league.
In light of the many criticisms, Benzema disabled the Instagram account, and today he reactivated it after several weeks.
While before the shutdown he had over 2,000 posts, now he has left only nine and only one of them is related to football - a picture of him with the Ballon d'Or.
Brought back the Instagram account, with almost no mention of football.
Benzema/GettyImages, Khalid Alhaj/MB Media
"Time will tell what will happen, but for now I am the one who decides when my career will end," continued the 36-year-old Benzema, "For many, the number 9 on the back means you have to score 50 goals in a season, for me it means I am one of 11 players who must Do everything to help the team score and win."
Benzema is still at odds with his coach Marcelo Gazzardo.
Last month, he did not show up for the return training from the winter break, claiming that he was caught in a storm while on vacation, and Gazzardo dismissed him from the team's training camp in Dubai.
After the transfer window closed and he did not move to a team, Gazzardo ordered the Frenchman to train alone and after he refused, he abandoned the training.
Without him, since the break Al Ittihad beat Al Faisli 0:4 in the cup and Al Tai 0:3 in the league.
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Karim Benzema