SAUDI ARABIA
Al-Ittihad’s Karim Benzema injured in Saudi Arabia: what is the injury? How long is he out for?
The former Real Madrid striker and current holder of the Ballon d’Or has suffered an injury which will see him out for a period of time.
Remember Karim Benzema? Yes, that guy. Well, the former Real Madrid forward - and current holder of the world’s best player award - has succumbed to an injury while otherwise having a great time in Saudi Arabia.
Benzema, now 35-years-old, has played three times this season as he pockets a reported $220 million over two years.
Now, however, he will be out for the foreseeable future, still earning his wage, as he recovers from an injury that forced the poor soul off after just 40 minutes against Al-Wehda, replaced by Jota, for whom Al-Ittihad paid $31 million, a club-record sale for Celtic, and a player who looks set to leave after just two months.
Back to Benzema, who has scored one and grabbed two assists as he finds his feet in the growing league where the top four teams are owned by PIF, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, which is said to have a value of $776 billion, as well as Newcastle United.
What injury does Benzema have? When will he be back?
The extent of Benzema’s injury is unknown, although it seems likely he will miss the next game against Al-Hilal, the side that have only signed Neymar, Koulibaly, Mitrovic, Malcom, Bono, Milinkovic-Savic and Rubén Neves this summer.
Real Madrid, in their last couple of seasons with Benzema in their ranks, knew very well of the physical issues that the striker faced. In the 22/23 season, the Frenchman missed 16 games due to a mixtures of injuries and pre-programmed rest by manager Carlo Ancelotti, given his age. He also missed out on the World Cup 2022 campaign with France due to injury: his side made it to the final, before losing to Argentina.