The bizarre reason why Karim Benzema is stuck in Saudi Arabia

Updated: 8 Sept 2026 18:27 BST | 5 min read

Karim Benzema, Al-Hilal, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

Tom Weber | Writer

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Former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema is a free agent after terminating his contract at Al-Hilal, but finding a new club is proving challenging.

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The 2022 Ballon d'Or winner has been living in Saudi Arabia since 2023, when he became one of the first European superstars to follow Cristiano Ronaldo to the Pro League. Benzema departed Real Madrid for Al-Ittihad on a free transfer after a trophy-laden 14-year stint.

At the time, the Pro League's mission statement was very clear: attract the biggest names in football in order to raise the profile and level of the division with the long-term aim of breaking into the world's top 10.

Current ETV

Karim Benzema

F (C)

Karim Benzema

F (C)

ETV Range

€1.5M - €2.2M

To do so, lavish transfer fees and salaries were handed out to ageing players. In recent times, the approach has shifted somewhat, with Saudi chiefs recognising that this is not a sustainable way to run a football league. Consequently, younger players are now being targeted.

Despite scoring regularly in the Pro League, the 38-year-old Benzema has felt the wind turn against him over the past year. In the winter, a contract dispute with Al-Ittihad led to his departure.

Benzema's Saudi problem

Benzema's deal was due to expire this summer, and while the Jeddah club wanted to keep the veteran around, they were not prepared to do so on his previous €200 million-per-season terms.

They effectively asked him to forgo his salary and subsist on his other lucrative revenue streams, but the Frenchman didn't take too kindly to this and made it clear that he would not sign an extension.

Consequently, it was decided to terminate his deal to allow him to switch clubs. In early February, he joined league rivals Al-Hilal, which pushed former Liverpool star Darwin Nunez to the fringes. The Uruguay international was de-registered from the club's Pro League squad.

Benzema bagged 10 goals in 16 appearances for Al-Hilal, but he ironically faced a similar fate to Nunez this summer when the Riyadh giants moved on to their new flavour of the month, Ollie Watkins.

Not content to only feature in the AFC Champions League Elite, Benzema yet again had his contract terminated. From the moment he became a free agent, it was clear that he only had two choices: stay in Saudi Arabia or retire.

There has been reported interest from Al-Shabab, but nothing has come of it, leaving Benzema in limbo. His former club Lyon also explored a sensational return, and the Frenchman was excited by the opportunity, but a move was ultimately impossible.

Sporting director Matthieu Louis-Jean confirmed to L'Equipe: "It's true that there was contact with Karim through an intermediary this summer. For me, it was impossible because his contract situation prevented it."

The contract that Louis-Jean referred to isn't a club contract. Benzema currently does not have a contract with a club. But he does have one with the Saudi Pro League - and that's why he is stuck there.

Karim Benzema in Saudi Arabia

Club	Games	Goals	Assists
Al-Ittihad	83	54	17
Al-Hilal	16	10	5

When he moved to the Middle East, he penned a lucrative ambassadorial agreement with the league, and his desire to return to Lyon was not big enough to override the possible financial ramifications of getting out of this deal early.

The problem for Benzema - and it's perhaps not the worst problem in the world to have - is that his contract with the league still runs until 2030, when he will be in his 40s. That explains why his choice is limited to retirement or remaining in the Pro League.

His contract doesn't explicitly prevent him from leaving the division, but it does require him to take part in numerous events and honour other commitments that require him to be in the country.

As such, returning to Europe and constantly having to travel back and forth would be a logistical nightmare and something he is understandably not particularly keen on. With suitors not queuing up to sign him, retirement increasingly looks like the direction of travel for Benzema.