Karim Benzema attracted attention with his hat-trick in his debut for Al-Hilal against Al-Akhdoud on Thursday in the Saudi League, but he didn’t stop there when asked about his former club, Al-Ittihad.
The French international completed his move to Al-Hilal in the final hours of the winter transfer window after his relationship with Al-Ittihad’s management broke down following their latest contract renewal offer, which the 37-year-old considered “very insulting.”
No one at Al-Ittihad, including the squad that Benzema captained and with whom he enjoyed close relationships, bid him farewell upon his transfer to Al-Hilal, raising many questions about the complete breakdown of the Frenchman’s relationship in Jeddah.
When asked after the Al-Hilal vs. Al-Akhdoud match about the lack of a send-off from his Al-Ittihad players, Benzema replied, “You should ask them about that. I’m here to talk about the match.”
He added, “If you have questions about the match, you should ask them, because I’m not here to talk about Al-Ittihad.”
Benzema refused to discuss his time at Al-Ittihad in any way, emphasizing his desire to remain calm and focused on Al-Hilal in the coming period.
