2023-06-08 20:01:56
The French Karim Benzema he said today in an interview with his new club Al Ittihad that Saudi Arabia it is the place where he wants to be as it is important to him as a Muslim country and now, a new chapter in his life is opening in which he wants to “elevate” Saudi football.
“Saudi Arabia is different from Europe. I had already been in Saudi Arabia and I feel good. Especially because it is a Muslim country and how to say it…it’s nice. For me it’s where I want to be because it’s important for me to be in a Muslim country”, he said in his first interview in French after being signed by Ittihad and saying goodbye to Real Madrid, where he has been successful for 14 years.
“Why Saudi Arabia? Because I am a Muslim and it is a Muslim country, and I want to live here,” insisted the 35-year-old Frenchman of Algerian origin, during the more than six-minute interview published on the club’s official channels. based in the coastal city of Jeddah.
speak arabic
Benzema pointed out that he would like to speak Arabic “fluently” and also stressed that Mecca, where he has already been, is “very close” to where he will live: “As I am a believer, it is important to me and this is where I feel better and in my place”.
Karim Benzema on why he joined Al-Ittihad.????⚫️
????️ “Well because I am Muslim and it’s a Muslim country. I’ve always wanted to live there. I’ve already been to Saudi Arabia and I feel good about it… pic.twitter.com/rMj2km0qXG
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) June 8, 2023
He indicated that when talking to his family about moving to the Arab kingdom, he said that “everyone was happy”, so they have moved to Jeddah together, something that was “important”, he stressed.
During the conversation with the club, Benzema made it clear that he wants to “elevate” the club’s name, despite already being “high” given that it is the second most successful in Saudi football after Al Hilal, the one who was Leo Messi’s suitor. Until yesterday.
“I feel good and happy, happy to have joined this legendary club. Of course, it’s a new challenge for me, a new life and I can’t wait to start training,” he said.
meet again with Christian
He showed his excitement to meet Cristiano Ronaldo, his “friend”, who was signed last December by Al Nassr, something that also shows that Saudi Arabia is rising positions in world football, he said.
Related news
“There are big names. There is Cristiano Ronaldo, on the one hand, and then there is me. It is important to elevate Saudi football, to have a global impact because playing in Saudi Arabia is not just that, but you have to push and teach what I have been able to do in Europe,” he argued.
The amount that Benzema will be paid during the three seasons he has signed with the club is unknown, although Saudi Arabia is campaigning with millions of euros to recruit different soccer stars to change its image and show a more international one after decades. isolated by the ultraconservatism of the authorities and society.
#Saudi #Arabia #Muslim #live