Which team will Benzema play for in Saudi Arabia? How much will he earn? What was his salary at Real Madrid?

The click is inaudible, and probably doesn’t even exist. Perhaps, realising something is only known as clicking as it relates to something virtually instantaneous: a moment in which the table is grabbed from underneath and flipped, perceptions and judgements flying all over.

Maybe then, with Karim Benzema, it wasn’t a click at all, as things took quite a while. Maybe then, it was a loud rumbling, a thunderous cackle that loomed from afar for so long we became accustomed to it, like a hairdryer in the bathroom or the incessant warble of an annoying child. But when Benzema’s greatness finally got recognised, it didn’t click inside anyone’s head, it smacked into the Earth as a 5-mile wide asteroid that covered the globe in its haze.

Benzema is leaving Real Madrid a genuine legend of the biggest club in the world, and will now move onto pastures new. The offer he will take up comes from Saudi Arabia, the new heartland for the retiring stars of Europe who seek to, as they say, improve the Saudi League and showcase the country to the world. But how much money is involved in taking the current holder of the Ballon d’Or to the middle-east?

What was Karim Benzema’s salary at Real Madrid?

I suppose one place to start is how much Benzema earned at his now former club, Real Madrid. It’s difficult to tell as it wouldn’t be the best PR move for Benzema to shout about his weekly wage, but most figures have him earning over €1 million a month, and around €15 million per year. Karim Benzema’s Real Madrid contract is up and that means he has forgone a year’s worth of money, but the striker will not leave Spain with a handkerchief tied to a stick slung over his shoulder.

How much will he earn in Saudi Arabia?

It is thought that Benzema will earn roughly $220 million across two seasons when he signs for Al Ittihad (who are they?). The side are based in the Saudi City of Jeddah in the Mecca region, were founded on December 26 1929, preceding the creation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by five years, and the club name means ‘The Union’ in Arabic.

Al-Ittihad were one of 16 teams to take part in the inaugural season, winning their first title in 1982 and went on to be one of the country’s most decorated teams, winning five league titles between 1997 and 2003.

All good things must come to an end, and my word, wasn’t Karim Benzema’s time at Madrid just that. “People who understand football, appreciate me. Football is more than just scoring goals”, he said when the criticism rained in on the forward who would go on to become Real Madrid’s second all-time top scorer, overtaking Raúl González and Alfredo Di Stéfano. So if goals aren’t what marks a player out as special, then what does scoring over 350 mean?