Benzema insists he 'wanted to retire' at Real Madrid despite £258m move to Saudi

Karim Benzema urged that he 'really wanted to retire' at Real Madrid as he waved farewell to the club on Tuesday after 14 trophy-laden seasons at the Bernabeu.

The French superstar will leave the LaLiga giants to join Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad on a three-year contract worth £258million this summer.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez hosted a farewell ceremony on Tuesday morning to honour the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner, who leaves the Bernabeu with four LaLiga titles, five Champions League crowns and five Club World Cup trophies.

During the event, Benzema said: 'It really hurts, it's not easy, I really wanted to retire here. I'll always be watching Madrid's games.'

'I'll always be watching Madrid games and I will always support Real Madrid, the best club in the world. Real Madrid will always be my family.'

The Frenchman closed off his farewell speech by saying: 'As I said the first day, 1, 2, 3... Hala Madrid!'

Perez added: 'Dear Karim, 14 years ago you arrived at Real Madrid and you have become one of the best players of all time. You are one of the symbols of this club, one of our greatest legends.

'You have managed to move all of us who love football. You are a different footballer and it is true that some took time to understand you.

'Today is a very difficult day for me. Some took a while to understand you, but you were always a different player. Benzema leaves Real Madrid with the love of the whole world. You are one of the chosen ones.'

Benzema's new club Al-Ittihad are managed by the former Wolves and Tottenham coach Nuno Espirito Santo and finished five points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in the Saudi title race this season.

His lucrative move comes amid a drive by the Saudi authorities to bring in high-calibre players who have regularly played in Champions League or World Cup finals.