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Real Madrid announced this Sunday the departure of its iconic striker Karim Benzema, after 14 years, five Champions Leagues, four League titles and one Ballon d’Or. The future fate of the French striker is not yet known.
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French Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, after 14 seasons with the Spanish club, the latter announced this Sunday June 4.
“Real Madrid CF and our captain Karim Benzema have reached an agreement to put an end to his brilliant and unforgettable stage as a player for our club,” Real Madrid wrote in a statement published on Sunday, a few hours before the last match of the season in the Spanish league against Athletic Bilbao.
Arriving in Madrid in 2009 from Lyon, Benzema, at the age of 35, leaves an indelible mark within the Madrid club, with 25 titles including five Champions League.
His last European title, in 2022, opened the doors of the Ballon d’Or, the first for a French player since Zinedine Zidane in 1998; but he failed this season in the C1 semi-finals against Manchester City.
The number 9, long in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo during the Portuguese’s Madrid years, took control of Real Madrid’s attacking game once CR7 left, in 2018.
He is currently, behind his former teammate, the second highest scorer in the club’s history, with 353 goals.
“Karim Benzema’s career at Real Madrid has been an example of behavior and professionalism, he has perfectly represented the values of our club. Karim Benzema has earned the right to decide his future,” Real Madrid said in a statement, hinting that Benzema himself decided not to extend his contract.
His name has been linked to Saudi Arabia for several days, as the newspaper El Mundo said, which would promise him a golden bridge to end his career.
“Why should I talk about my future? I am in Madrid. Those who speak do so on the Internet, and reality is not the Internet,” Benzema said Thursday night at a ceremony honoring his career organized by the sports newspaper Spanish Brand.
Only three days after this release, the striker’s future is partially decided: he will not write in Madrid.
Real Madrid announced the celebration this Tuesday at noon of a tribute to its player, in the presence of the president of the club Florentino Pérez.
Adapted from its French version
