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‘Insulted’ Karim Benzema refuses to play for Al-Ittihad: Why Ballon d’Or winner feels he’s being asked to ‘play for free’

Benzema had captained Al-Ittihad to a league and cup double, which had raised his hopes that he would be offered a bigger contract from the league

2 min readJan 30, 2026 02:39 PM IST

Reports: Karim Benzema eager to leave SPL

Karim Benzema waves to fans during his welcome ceremony after joining Al-Ittihad on June 8, 2023. (REUTERS)

Karim Benzema may not be playing in the Saudi Pro League after this season. The French striker, who plays for Al-Ittihad, is reportedly incensed at the contract extension offer put forward by the League, who are his employers rather than the team. So incensed that according to media reports he has refused to play for the club anymore until the contract situation is dealt with.

A report in French publication L’Équipe noted that Benzema’s camp found the offer “insulting” and believed that accepting it would amount to “playing for free”. Last season, Benzema had captained Al-Ittihad to a league and cup double, which had raised his hopes that he would be offered a bigger contract from the league. This season too, Benzema has discovered his hot streak, scoring 16 goals in 21 league and cup matches.

But when the offer from SPL’s director of football Michael Emenalo reportedly arrived on Wednesday, just days before the transfer window shuts, Benzema was livid, according to Foot Mercato. Benzema has reportedly also been contacted by multiple clubs in Europe.

Benzema is a Ballon d’Or winner, who, over the course of a glittering career, scored 503 goals in 967 club matches besides the 37 goals in 97 appearances he banged in for France. Established as one of the greatest goalscorers in history, Benzema is currently Real Madrid’s second-highest scorer, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo.

It was just a couple of months back that Benzema was talking up his love for playing at Al-Ittihad.
“I’m part of the project, I’m in the right place,” Benzema had told L’Équipe in an interview. He has spoken at length about wanting to extend his contract in Saudi Arabia.

Now, as reported by the French media outlet, the striker will likely be absent against Al-Najma on Sunday, while the clash against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr is in just over a week.