Karim Benzema welcomed AS to Al Ittihad’s training complex in Jeddah. Ahead was a long, relaxed conversation with the leader of the reigning Saudi Pro League and cup champions.
When he signed his contract – which runs until June 30 next year – he promised to take the team to the top. He has delivered.
Now comes the moment to talk and make decisions, because one thing the former Real Madrid striker is sure of is that he wants to keep playing. “I’m 38. I feel good and motivated to keep going for two more years,” the Frenchman says, and so much more...
How is life here in Jeddah?
“Very good, normal, like in Madrid. I really like the country. It opens up more every year and more people come. I think that’s very important for Jeddah and for Saudi Arabia. It’s not just football – there are good restaurants, beaches, plenty to do."
What does Saudi Arabia mean to Karim Benzema? Let’s not forget that along with Cristiano Ronaldo, you helped set a trend in Saudi football…
“Saudi Arabia needs players like Cristiano, like me, like others who’ve come to bring them some of what we have in Europe. We have to show the kids here what it takes so they can move to other clubs. It’s a country that’s opening up. People are very respectful day to day. It’s a very good place for me.”
League, Cup – you’ve made history with Al Ittihad.
“Yes, I think this club likes that, pushing itself. It has that mentality of doing beautiful things in football. The fans are incredible – every match they’re there, home or away. That’s very important for us. Last year we won the King Cup and the league. It was a very good moment, a special one for everyone."
Do you feel like the leader of the team?
“I’m here for that, but always to help my teammates. If I’m at my best, it’s because they allow me to be at my best. Scoring goals is the job of all of us. I can help them with advice on or off the pitch, help them improve and maybe one day move to other teams as well.”
Do you feel valued?
“Yes, a lot. When I signed I had just won the Ballon d’Or. It wasn’t the end of my career – I wanted to play, keep playing and enjoy football. I feel very good in this club. The fans are great, the boys want to work. Those are things I really appreciate every day."
And the fans? What are they like?
“I feel very appreciated by them. You feel it in every stadium. They’re always with you. They give you confidence.”
After so many years at the top, do you still have goals?
“To keep scoring, playing, creating plays, giving people emotion. Not just in Saudi Arabia but in the whole football world. Every time I step on the pitch, I want people to feel that. I like doing special things even in training.”
Zidane is being mentioned as the next France coach…
“I think he has everything to be there. He proved it at Real Madrid. There’s another coach now, but in my view Zizou is number one.”
Would Benzema return to the French national team?
“The national team feels a bit far away, but you never know. I focus on what I have now.”
Time passes; you’re approaching three years away from Real Madrid. Is it still your team?
“It will always be my team. I still watch games when I can. It’s the best club in the world. It always has been and always will be. It’s a team with huge potential and I think it can do more than it’s doing right now.”
More? In what sense?
“I like this Real Madrid. There’s always talk, but that’s how it is. If they draw or lose, it’s suddenly a crisis. They go from being the best team in the world to questioning the coach, this player, that one… it’s normal because it’s the best club in the world. But I like this team."
You shared a dressing room with Xabi Alonso. Did you see the coach in him back then?
“I remember him then the same as now as a coach. Pressure, vertical passes… a style I like. He’s only been coaching six months and he’s doing very well. Give him time."
Will we see Karim Benzema as a coach one day?
“I don’t know. I have friends who are already doing coaching badges and always talk to me about it, but it’s hard. Footballer or coach seems different, but the pressure is the same. It’s complicated.”
This is a Real Madrid without Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Ramos, Benzema… a team that once seemed eternal.
“True, it seemed eternal. Many great players. Football now is different, it’s something else. There’s no point comparing. Today’s Real Madrid may have more of some things, but it lacks a leader – though sometimes in football a leader isn’t necessary. They’re young; many play for their national teams and are leaders there. They have Champions Leagues. They have to find what a leader gives."
He doesn’t play, but Florentino Pérez is still there.
“He’s the leader. He does an incredible job, bringing players you didn’t think would arrive. What he does with the team, with the club… he’s the best."
Would you return? Imagine they call you…
“For what? (laughs). He’s someone I could never say no to. Florentino is special.”
What was that day in 2009 like when he showed up at your house?
“I remember the day he came to my house in Lyon. In difficult times, in good times, when I won the Ballon d’Or – he’s always been great with me. You can’t say no to him."
Tell me about that day in Lyon.
“Florentino was already at my house. My agent called saying we had to meet someone. ‘No, I can’t now, I have things to do.’ He insisted. ‘Who is it?’ When he told me Florentino Pérez was there, I didn’t believe it. The man who brought Ronaldo, suddenly in my house? Of course I had to go. From that moment on, all I could think about was Real Madrid, Ronaldo, Zidane…"
You reach your house and what was Florentino Pérez doing?
“Just being normal, visiting, sitting with my parents. I was in shock but he was relaxed, speaking French with them.”
Did that day seal your move to Real Madrid?
“He told me many things in French. He talked about Real Madrid, I said yes, we shook hands and…"
And then a whole life. Good thing your phone was on, right?
“Yes, yes (laughs). That’s how it is – a whole life. Florentino is the greatest. The level Real Madrid has in every sense is because of him.”
Because of him and the players he managed to bring, right?
“He gave me everything. A lot of confidence. He always spoke to me, to my parents, in good and bad moments.”
And there were tough moments too.
“Of course. Over a career there are difficult days when no one helps you, but he was always there.”
Two weeks ago Al Nassr and Al Ittihad faced each other: Cristiano Ronaldo vs Benzema. The greeting on the pitch looked cold… you know how journalists are.
“No, please. We had already spoken in the locker room. We hugged, talked. On the field we don’t need to do it again. Why repeat it? There’s a lot of respect, we’re fine. We don’t need to show anything. We’ve learned from each other. People act like we need to perform for TV. It’s not like that. There’s respect. On the field, each of us is focused on our job.”
Few know the truth like you, and you always defend him. But what is Vinicius like?
“He’s a really good kid with a big heart, eager to learn… a phenomenon. People put a lot – a lot – of pressure on him. Some players shouldn’t have that kind of pressure. He’s still young but already has many games for Real Madrid. You can’t forget what he’s done. You can’t say he’s bad now. It’s not fair. He’s very good, but he can do more. That’s his character. He gets angry when he’s subbed. Normal. OK, he shouldn’t do it, but that’s who he is. He gestures on the pitch and off it. It’s nothing. He feels good on the pitch, thinks he can do things, wants more touches and then gets subbed. That’s why he reacts. It’s normal. It’s nothing."
Do you still see him as a future Ballon d’Or?
“For me, he could win it someday. It’s difficult, but he can. The day he locks in that he’s on the pitch only to play and leaves everything else aside, he can win it. He has the quality and he’s in the best place to do it – Real Madrid. There’s nowhere better."
The last Ballon d’Or was Dembélé, a player who also overcame difficult moments.
“He left very tough moments behind. He’s a good person, a phenomenon, a good player. What he’s done in Paris is important. He won the Ballon d’Or because he scored a lot, especially in big, decisive matches. He deserved it.”
Let’s talk Mbappé. Are we seeing the real Mbappé this season?
“He’s much better. Scoring isn’t new for him. He did it at PSG and he’ll score at Real Madrid, even more. There will be games where he barely touches the ball. What we expect from Kylian is that when he gets one chance, he scores. Real Madrid is like that. They need him in matches like Atlético, Liverpool… teams that sit deep. He has to appear, work those situations, link up with Vini. Real Madrid expects Mbappé for those moments, to bring the Champions League. I think he can do it with the other players. Not alone. He needs Vinicius, others… that’s how it is.
“Vinicius, Mbappé, Rodrygo even if he doesn’t play much, Bellingham… they have to communicate. One is there to score, another to assist. We’re not going to ask Bellingham to score because that’s Mbappé’s job, and we’re not going to ask Mbappé to be a number 10 because that’s Bellingham. They need to talk. He’s better, but he has to focus more in those moments when Real Madrid needs him because he has everything to do it."
Isn’t it strange how players are now judged by how much they run? Do you understand that?
“It depends. Run when you have to run, when something’s missing, because when you score, no one talks about running. Run at the right moment. I’ve scored goals by pressing – it’s part of the job. I didn’t run a lot, but I did it because I know it’s Madrid. I knew when to do it, especially in Champions League games. It’s not just scoring. The goals I scored against PSG after pressing – those little things help. I think Mbappé will do it."
You’ve won almost everything here in Saudi Arabia, and everything at Real Madrid. Europe loves you, they idolize you.
“Right now, I’m very good here. They show me a lot of love – players, fans, coach, staff. I watch Real Madrid games, I watch the Champions League and I imagine things. The Champions League is magical. My contract is ending, that’s true. I still don’t know if I’m staying or going. It depends on many things. I turn 38 in December. I see myself playing two more years. Physically I’m good, I work hard, and I love football. I enjoy it. We’ll see what happens, what the club thinks.
“I like talking face to face and hearing what they think. The best thing for me is to continue here, but not just to stay for the sake of it for another year or two. That doesn’t work for me. The level of the league is better every year. I’ve been here three years and it keeps rising. It’s true that I have options in Europe.
"I have to consider everything, choose well, see where I feel good, without forgetting that I feel very good here and receive a lot of affection. But we’ll see. They ask things of me and I give things back. It’s fifty–fifty. But there are options. I’m not going to stop playing and competing in six months.”
Return to Real Madrid even now?
“If Florentino is still there, it’s possible. We talk, and it’s possible. I’m a Madridista. I feel it inside. Madrid is still my city. I feel like a Madridista and a Madrileño. We’ll see. If he’s there…"