For the first time since December, Karim Benzema starts in Al-Ittihad's match against Al Riyad on Sunday in the Saudi championship, a few days after being left out of the team in the Asian Champions League.
The club announced it on X, the day after a series of tweets showing him smiling alongside coach Marcelo Gallardo and reporting that he was “preparing to play again”.
The 2022 Golden Ball was not selected by his club to play in the round of 16 first leg of the Asian Champions League on Thursday in Uzbekistan against Navbahor Namangan.
A disappointment which was added to several others accumulated over the past few weeks, between the heavy fire of criticism from supporters over his poor performance (9 goals, 5 assists in the league), a falling out with his coach and a delay in returning from the winter break.
The 36-year-old Frenchman, feeling under “pressure” at Al-Ittihad, had asked to “temporarily” leave the club, which offered him a loan to another team in the Saudi championship, AFP learned at the end of January from a source close to the club.
The option of leaving for another Saudi club was refused by the player, who feels "unable to give the best of himself to Al-Ittihad because of the pressure", specified the same source, who added that the player favors a loan in Europe.
Contacted by AFP, the Frenchman's entourage, under contract until 2026, did not wish to confirm this information.