French star Karim Benzema bid farewell to the fans of the Saudi Al-Ittihad Club with an emotional message, after officially announcing his transfer to Al-Hilal Club, following the termination of his contract with the “Dean” by mutual consent.
Through his official account on the “X” platform, Benzema posted a picture of himself in an Al-Ittihad shirt and wrote, commenting: “This chapter ends here, but respect and gratitude will always remain. Thank you to the club and to my teammates, and special thanks to the fans for the love and energy you showered upon me.” The French player confirmed that he was leaving “with his head held high,” expressing his pride in representing the club’s colors, and wishing him every success in the future.
On the other hand, the reaction of the Al-Ittihad Club management was dull and formal. It limited itself to publishing a brief statement through its official accounts, which said: “It was decided to terminate the contractual relationship between the club and first-team football player Karim Benzema,” without adding any farewell photos or words of thanks, which sparked widespread controversy among followers about the presence of sharp disagreements behind the scenes that led to this tense separation.
The news explains that the dispute began after Benzema refused to play in the team’s last two matches, in objection to the terms of renewing his contract. Immediately after announcing the termination of the contract, Al Hilal Club announced the signing of the French striker on a free transfer for a year and a half, amid great joy from Al-Zaeem fans with the former Ballon d’Or winner joining to support the team.
