Karim Benzema Comes, Says Al Hilal is Like Real Madrid Asia

JAKARTA - Karim Benzema wants to bring a trophy to his new club, Al Hilal, which he calls Real Madrid in Asia.

The French striker refused to extend his contract to stay at Al Ittihad after June 2026 and instead joined the leader of the Saudi Pro League (Saudi Pro League), Al Hilal, on Monday, February 2, 2026, local time.

"It's good. I'm happy to be here. After my first training with the team, with the coach, I'm very happy and excited to be part of this team."

"It's a good team, with a good history. They have won many trophies. It's similar, like Real Madrid in Asia."

"Everything is good, the fans are good, they play well, they have good players, they have good mentality."

"I've loved this team for a long time. I used to play against them when I was at Real Madrid and it's not an easy game."

"It was a good game, so I have good memories. Today I am happy because I am an Al Hilal player," Benzema said speaking for the first time since his move to Al Hilal.

The 38-year-old striker previously felt he was not valued with the contract extension offered by Al Ittihad.

Launching ESPN, the deal offered by Al Ittihad from the Saudi Arabian Pro League - which handles the contracts of key players at PIF-owned clubs (Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund) - will effectively make the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner play without pay.

Benzema, who has offers from European clubs, has decided to stay in Saudi Arabia, partly because his image rights contract there runs until 2030.

His move to Al Hilal, which was arranged by PIF, has angered Benzema's former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who captains rival Al Nassr.

Ronaldo refused to play for his club on Monday, February 2, 2026, in protest because PIF did not invest enough in Al Nassr and instead gave the advantage to Al Hilal.

Ronaldo wants to win his first major title with Al Nassr and his team is in second place in the Saudi Pro League standings, one point behind Al Hilal.

Meanwhile, Benzema, who was instrumental in Al Ittihad's victory in the Saudi Pro League and the King's Cup last season, desperately wants more trophies.

"This is a clear message. You know my mentality. I have a lot of ambition. I will work, I will give everything on the field."

"I will help this team. Insyaallah, win the trophy. For me, bringing home the trophy is more important. As I said before, we have a good team, good fans, and together, insyaallah, we will do it," he said.

Benzema arrived in Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023 after winning 25 trophies with Real Madrid, including four LaLiga titles, three Copa del Rey, and five Champions League titles.

He has scored eight goals in 14 league matches this season. His first match with Al Hilal will take place in the league match, Friday, February 6, 2026 WIB, against Al Okhdood.