"It’ll be great to see him here" - Karim Benzema makes claim about his 'friend' Cristiano Ronaldo after completing Al-Ittihad move
Karim Benzema is now a direct rival to his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo after completing a move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.
Benzema and Ronaldo were teammates during their time at Real Madrid. They shared the pitch in 342 games, combining for 76 goals. From next season onwards, however, they will be direct rivals.
Al-Ittihad won the Saudi Pro League in 2022-23, finishing five points ahead of second-placed Al-Nassr, the club Ronaldo plays for.
Benzema is looking forward to seeing the Portuguese legend in the Middle East. He said (via Madrid Xtra):
“Cristiano is my friend and it’ll be great to see him here.”
He further added (via The CR7 Timeline):
"Cristiano Ronaldo is here and he's my friend, it's great to see him here in Saudi Arabia. It shows the level is growing."
Following Benzema's move to the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo said (via Cristiano Xtra):
“I knew that Benzema is coming to Saudi and that's why I said that the Saudi league will be among the Top 5 in the future, more players will come. In the future I would like to own a club, I don't rule it out.”
Karim Benzema's move follows Cristiano Ronaldo's prediction about the Saudi Pro League
Cristiano Ronaldo recently said that the Saudi Pro League (SPL) is rapidly improving. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner further stated that the league has the potential to be among the top five leagues in the future.
Ronaldo told the SPL's official media in an interview:
"I think the league is very good. But I think we have many many opportunities to still grow. I think the league is good, it's competitive, we have very good Arab players."
He added:
"The infrastructure, I think they need to improve. Even the referees, the VAR system, those should be a little bit quicker. Other small things they need to improve. In my opinion, if they continue to do it, the work, for the next five years, I think the Saudi League can be the fifth in the world."
While many were left bemused by Ronaldo's claims, Benzema's move to the league shows that the SPL is taking necessary steps to establish itself as one of the top leagues in the world.
Ronaldo's arrival raised the competitive nature of the league and Benzema joining Al-Ittihad will further help the cause. Premier League stars like N'Golo Kante, Wilfried Zaha, and Adama Traore have also been linked with a move to SPL.