SAUDI ARABIA
More injury issues for Karim Benzema
At Real Madrid, he missed stretches of last season that prevented him from having continuity and performing at the level he had shown in the previous campaign.
![Taif (Saudi Arabia), 27/07/2023.- Karim Benzema of Al Ittihad during the Arab Club Champions Cup match between Esperance Tunis and Al Ittihad at King Fahd Stadium in Taif, Saudi Arabia, 27 July 2023. (Arabia Saudita, Túnez) EFE/EPA/STR](https://img.asmedia.epimg.net/resizer/v2/SVLODDOMCBD6ZEOBIOQ2FTXMTU.jpg?auth=92015901a6a6fca98b0d4aa52843eb2c5335d162be5dbb87e717c57b73d38b89&width=360&height=203&focal=1374%2C436)
A couple of months after arriving in Saudi Arabia, Karim Benzema has suffered his first injury. Al Ittihad’s French player had to leave the field in the match against Al Wheda and it is more than likely that he will miss his club’s next matches, including Friday’s big derby against Al Hilal (in which Neymar could make his debut).
Benzema has scored one goal and registered two assists in the Saudi Pro 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.
![Benzema, treated by the Al Ittihaq doctors against Al Wehda.](https://img.asmedia.epimg.net/resizer/v2/DVIYR4NS4B52IQBALG3NG3QX4I.jpg?auth=3984d9e713f0f93ab917ee18804bc38a8b4e7b9fdb3179ff60022d8575f6a754&width=360)
Benzema’s injury issues
At Real Madrid, he missed stretches of last season that prevented him from having continuity and performing at the level he had shown in the previous campaign. The culmination of all this misfortune came when, days before the start of the World Cup, he had to leave the training camp and miss the event in Qatar. That led to problems with coach Didier Deschamps and his departure from the national team for good.