SAUDI ARABIA
Benzema reveals why he left Madrid for Saudi Arabia: “here I feel at peace”
The Frenchman revealed his reasons for leaving Madrid, with a life in a muslim country being a key reason.
Karim Benzema caught everyone off guard when he packed his bags and left Madrid for Saudi Arabia at the start of the current season, despite still having a year left on his bumper deal with the Spanish club. Real Madrid did not put any roadblocks in his way and allowed the forward to leave, despite the huge hole he created in the squad, one which left them without an elite forward from the month of June.
Now, in an interview with the Saudi League, Benzema has confessed why he left the Spanish capital for Saudi Arabia, saying that “as a muslim, when you’re at Mecca you feel at peace... it’s an exceptional place. I’m at peace here.”
Benzema avoids mentioning his colossal wages as a factor in his decision to move
The forward assured that he is very happy living in Saudi Arabia given the culture of the country, the religion and the care he is receiving from the people on the street and at every stadium: “Saudi Arabia is a muslim country. They welcomed me with open arms and I immediately felt loved.” The player said he feels comfortable in a country in which the majority of people practice the same religion as he does, as well as being somewhere that allows him to be closer to Mecca, a holy city for Muslims.
Al Ittihad’s striker said that he also wanted a change of scenery and to help a growing league: “when the football project began in Saudi Arabia, it felt huge in every way. I wanted to be a part of that and help the game to advance in this country.” At no point did Benzema talk about money or the wages being a factor in his decision to make the move from the 14-time European champions.
‘In Europe they didn’t watch many games from this league. But now they do’
Just like Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema says that the level of football in the league is good and that it surprised him when he joined. He admits to knowing nothing about the league but that games are watched in Europe. “There’s a lot of passion here and I’m happy with the level of the game. I’m genuinely surprised about the level in Saudi Arabia because in Europe they didn’t watch many games from this league. But now they do.”
The Frenchman looked back on his time at Real Madrid, saying that he is still “very happy and proud of everything I did and won with Real Madrid” but that he thinks that it “was a good moment to try a new change in my life after having won everything at Real Madrid.”
