More than two years have passed since he left Real Madrid, yet his presence still calls up memories of glory for every supporter. Karim Benzema now delights fans in Saudi Arabia, where he speaks with AS about his past, his present and a future still undecided. This is a preview of a full interview that will be published later today.
He has won almost everything in Saudi Arabia; at Real Madrid, everything; in Europe he is admired and adored.
“For now I feel very good here – the players, the fans, the coach, everyone shows me a lot of affection,” Benzema says. “I watch Real Madrid games; I watch the Champions League and I imagine. The Champions League is magical. My contract here is close to ending, that’s true. I still can’t say whether I’ll stay or leave – it depends on many things. I’ll turn 38 in December. I see myself playing two more years. Physically I’m good, I work a lot and I have football in me. I love the game; I enjoy it.
“We’ll see what happens, what the club thinks. I like speaking face to face and hearing what they believe. The best thing for me would be to stay, but not just for the sake of staying one or two more years – that I can’t do. I think the level of the league gets better every year. I’ve been here for three years and it keeps rising. It’s true that I have options in Europe. I have to look at everything, choose well and see where I feel good, without forgetting that I feel good here and receive a lot of love. But we’ll see. They ask things of me and I give things to them. It’s fifty-fifty, but there are possibilities. I’m not going to walk away from football or stop competing in six months.”
Moving on to Kylian Mbappé – does he think this season we are seeing the real Mbappé?
“He’s much better; scoring goals isn’t new for him. He did it at PSG and he’ll score for Real Madrid – many more. There will be games where Mbappé hardly touches the ball. What we expect from Kylian is that when he gets one chance, he puts it away. That’s Real Madrid. The team needs him a lot, and in games like Atlético Madrid or Liverpool, where opponents sit back, he has to show up and work through those situations. He has to combine with Vinicius. Madrid counts on Mbappé for these moments, to win the Champions League. I think he can do it with the other players. He can’t do it alone; he needs Vinicius and the rest. That’s how it is.
“I think Vinicius, Mbappé, Rodrygo – even if he doesn’t play much – and Bellingham need to talk. One is there to score, another to assist. We’re not going to tell Bellingham to score goals because that’s Mbappé’s job, nor ask Mbappé to be the number 10 because that’s Bellingham. They need communication. He’s better now, but he has to focus more on those moments when Madrid needs him because he has everything to succeed.”
He also crossed paths with Xabi Alonso in the locker room – did he already see a coach in him?
“I remember when we played together and he’s the same now as a coach,” he says. “Pressure, vertical passes… a style of play I like. He’s been coaching only six months and he’s doing very well. Time.”