English non-league club make bold proposal to Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema and Al-Ittihad ahead of new season
Non-league English club Atherton Collieries asked Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema's Al-Ittihad for a pre-season friendly on X (formerly Twitter). Interestingly, the request isn't too audacious, given the two sides actually met for a preparatory match in the summer of 2019.
The fact that seems more surprising is that the team sitting in the eighth tier of English football pulled off a 2-0 win on that day. Of course, a match against the Saudi Pro League club would be sensational, given the talent that the side now possess.
The likes of N'Golo Kante and Fabinho, among others, made a move to the Saudi Arabian side in the summer of 2023. Posting about this on X, the club's social media team wrote:
"It is five years today since we welcomed Saudi Arabian giants Al-Ittihad to the Skuna Stadium, with goals from Matt Grimshaw and Danny O'Brien securing a historic victory for Michael Clegg's Stripes."
"Rematch, @ittihad_en?"
However, it seems unlikely that a match of such nature will take place this summer, with Al-Ittihad lined up to play top European sides. They've got a game against Sevilla up next on Friday night (July 26), with a friendly involving Real Betis to follow on August 3.
After a disappointing campaign which saw them finish fifth in the Saudi Pro League, Benzema and Co. will want to hit the ground running this year. Their first league tie in the 2024/25 campaign is an away game at Al-Kholood on August 24.
Karim Benzema makes his pick for the 2024 Ballon d'Or
Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema believes his former Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Junior deserves to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or award. The pair played 186 matches together across competitions, bagging 42 joint goal contributions. The Brazilian enjoyed a stellar 2023/24 season, winning the UEFA Champions League and LaLiga trophies with the Spanish giants. Speaking to MARCA, Benzema said (via 90 min):
"I'm going to say Vini because he deserves it (Ballon d'Or) for his season and not just for what he's done this year, but also for what he did last year, he was also above the rest with his football and what he does with the ball. He's a kid, a complete footballer."
In the previous campaign, Vinicius contributed 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 matches across competitions for Real Madrid. The likes of Dani Carvajal and Jude Bellingham, among others, are also considered candidates for the honor.