Karim Benzema shares social media post alongside former Real Madrid mate Cristiano Ronaldo after Al-Nassr v Al-Ittihad clash
Real Madrid legends Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo shared a touching moment before taking the pitch for their respective teams in the Saudi Pro League on Friday (December 6). Both men were in action as two of the biggest clubs in Saudi Arabia, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr, faced each other in a league meeting.
Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Ittihad hosted Al-Nassr in a top-of-the-table encounter between the two sides who are respectively captained by Real Madrid legends. Both Ronaldo and Benzema were in the starting lineup for their respective sides. They even got their names on the scoresheet in the game which Al-Ittihad won 2-1.
In the tunnel before leading their respective sides out, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo shared a warm embrace, the picture of which the Frenchman posted on social media. He captioned the post on his Instagram story with goat emojis, praising Ronaldo as the greatest of all time:
"🐐🐐"
The careers of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have gone through similar paths over the years, culminating in their playing in Saudi Arabia at the same time. Both men signed for Real Madrid in 2009 and went on to spend their most productive years at the Spanish club, winning multiple trophies. They both moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023, Ronaldo joining Al-Nassr in January and Benzema joining Al-Ittihad in July.
Ronaldo won the UEFA Champions League four times in the colors of Los Blancos, with Benzema winning the competition once more, in 2022. Both men also won the Ballon d'Or, the sport's most prestigious individual honour, during their time in Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 450 goals for Los Blancos during his time at the club, making him their record goalscorer. Benzema scored 354 goals for the club to end his time there as their second-best goalscorer of all time.
Cristiano Ronaldo loses to ex-Real Madrid teammate in Saudi Pro League blockbuster
Cristiano Ronaldo ended up on the losing side against former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema as his Al-Nassr side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Al-Ittihad. The 39-year-old Portuguese superstar returned to the starting XI for the Knights of Najd after being rested for the 2-1 AFC Champions League Elite defeat against Al-Sadd, but could not save his side from defeat.
Benzema opened the scoring for the home side after 55 minutes before his former teammate Ronaldo equalized two minutes later with his 10th league goal of the season. Al-Ittihad left it late, as Dutch forward Steven Bergwijn scored in added time to secure the three points for them.
Al-Ittihad will end the year at the summit of the Saudi Pro League after the win, which puts them 11 points clear of Al-Nassr. Al-Nassr, meanwhile, are fourth on the log with 25 points from 13 games.