Latest news with #KarimBenzema
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Karim Benzema sends message to departing Real Madrid star
Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema has late this week forwarded a social media message to former Blancos teammate Lucas Vázquez. This, of course, comes after the latter bid an emotional farewell to the Spanish heavyweights on Thursday. After spending the entirety of his career to date on the books of Real Madrid, versatile full-back Vázquez is now officially a free agent. Following the signing of Trent Alexander-Arnold, those behind the scenes at the Santiago Bernabéu made the call not to offer the 34-year-old an extension to his expiring terms. After Real Madrid held a farewell ceremony for Vázquez yesterday afternoon, messages of appreciation have since come flooding in for a loyal and always committed servant to the cause in Spain's capital. And as alluded to above, adding his name to this list of well wishers on Thursday evening was Blancos icon Karim Benzema. Taking to his official Instagram account, frontman Benzema unveiled a photo of he and Vázquez on the pitch, accompanied by the caption: '@lucasvazquez91 Bravo' Conor Laird – GSFN
The Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Aubameyang leaves Saudi side Al-Qadsiah after one season
FILE PHOO: Soccer Football - Saudi King's Cup - Final - Al Ittihad v Al Qadsiah - King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - May 30, 2025 Al Qadsiah's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks dejected after Al Ittihad's Karim Benzema scores their third goal. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo (Reuters) -Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has left Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah after one season, the club said on Thursday. "Thank you, Oba. All the best," the club posted on X without providing more details. The former Arsenal player joined Al-Qadsiah last year, after they were promoted to the top-tier league. During his one-season spell, the 36-year-old scored 21 goals and made three assists in 36 matches in all competitions, helping the team finish fourth in the league and reach the King's Cup final, where they lost to Al-Ittihad. (Reporting by Taha MohamedEditing by Christian Radnedge)
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Aubameyang leaves Saudi side Al-Qadsiah after one season
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOO: Soccer Football - Saudi King's Cup - Final - Al Ittihad v Al Qadsiah - King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - May 30, 2025 Al Qadsiah's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks dejected after Al Ittihad's Karim Benzema scores their third goal. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has left Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah after one season, the club said on Thursday. "Thank you, Oba. All the best," the club posted on X without providing more details. The former Arsenal player joined Al-Qadsiah last year, after they were promoted to the top-tier league. During his one-season spell, the 36-year-old scored 21 goals and made three assists in 36 matches in all competitions, helping the team finish fourth in the league and reach the King's Cup final, where they lost to Al-Ittihad. REUTERS
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Real Madrid legend Benzema sends messages to Vinícius Jr. and Luka Modrić
The latest social media activity on the part of ex-Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has piqued attentions across the Blancos' fanbase this weekend. As much comes after the Frenchman sent public messages the way of both Vinícius Jr, and Luka Modrić. Advertisement In the case of the former, Benzema, known to share a close bond with Vinícius following their shared time in Spain's capital, moved to wish the Brazilian a happy birthday. Taking to his official Instagram account, the Al-Ittihad star unveiled a photo of he and his former teammate, accompanied by the caption: 'Happy Birthday hermanito' And Benzema soon followed up with a social media message to another long-time Blancos star. Luka Modrić is of course fresh off taking to the pitch in the colours of Real Madrid for the very last time earlier this week. After the Croatian took to Instagram to post a farewell message to the Spanish heavyweights, Benzema in turn responded, writing: Advertisement 'N10', accompanied by a love heart emoji. Conor Laird – GSFN
Arab News
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Saudi Arabia's great football experiment is paying off
MANCHESTER, England: The great Saudi Arabian football experiment is on full show at the Club World Cup. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The Kingdom, which is spending billions of dollars to become a major player in the world's most popular sport, scored a big win on the field Monday when Al-Hilal beat Premier League giants Manchester City 4-3 to advance to the quarterfinals. It was a seismic result in football terms; possibly the biggest upset of the tournament and precisely the type of statement Saudi Arabia has wanted to make since embarking on a project that will ultimately see it stage the World Cup in 2034. 'We wanted to show that Al-Hilal has the talent, the power to be here,' said defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who was among a slew of star players paid fortunes to leave Europe's top clubs for the Saudi Pro League in recent years. Superstar signings and ones that got away The biggest of them all was Cristiano Ronaldo, who completed one of the most stunning moves in football history when joining Al-Nassr for a reported salary of up to $200 million a year in 2022. That deal prompted a spectacular recruitment drive by Saudi teams — backed by the Kingdom's sovereign wealth fund — and in came superstars like Neymar and Karim Benzema, while audacious attempts were made to sign Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Confirmation that Saudi Arabia had won the right to host the World Cup came in December. On the field, the Club World Cup was the first chance for the country to make a global statement about the growth of its domestic game, which is largely unheralded outside of Asia. It is likely why Al-Hilal — Saudi Arabia's most successful team — were so eager to make another marquee signing before the tournament began and tried, but failed, to lure Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. They pulled off a coup by hiring coach Simone Inzaghi. The Italian arrived after leading Inter Milan to a second Champions League final in three seasons and he is already making a mark with his new team after drawing 1-1 against Real Madrid in the group stage and then beating City. 'We had to do something extraordinary because we knew how good Manchester City are, we knew we had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen, and we were great,' Inzaghi said. Saudi football has faced doubts The broader picture is what Al-Hilal's run says about the standard of football in Saudi Arabia, which has been dismissed by some as a cash grab for players, who can earn far more than if they'd remained in Europe. 'Let's see now if they will criticize us after these games,' said midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who joined Al-Hilal from Italian team Lazio. 'It's not like how they are speaking about the league.' Despite recruiting so many players from Europe's top clubs — including Champions League winners N'Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino — it is difficult to judge the quality of the Saudi league. To put Al-Hilal's run into context: While they may have won a record 19 league titles and four Asian championships, they are not the Saudi Arabia's reigning national champion, having been beaten to the title by Benzema's Al-Ittihad last season. Another Saudi team, Al-Ahli, who count former Liverpool forward Firmino and ex-Manchester City winger Mahrez among their players, won the Asian Champions League this year. Ronaldo, meanwhile, is yet to win the title in three attempts with Al-Nassr — pointing to the depth of strength in the league. Al-Hilal's performances have also come despite releasing Brazil great Neymar in January and with leading scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic having played no part so far because of injury. Can Al Hilal win the Club World Cup? The question now is how far Al-Hilal can go. Next up is Brazil's Fluminense in the quarterfinals in Orlando on Friday. City's exit — along with Inter Milan's defeat to Fluminense — has opened up that side of the draw, which also features Palmeiras and Chelsea. On paper it looks like the favorable side of the draw, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain on the other side. But the success of Brazilian teams has been another theme of the tournament and Al-Hilal will have to beat at least one more if they are to advance to the final. Inzaghi, however, is used to overachieving. His two Champions League finals with Inter Milan came despite having an aging team and relying on savvy deals in the transfer market to pick up free agents and veteran players. Inter's victory against Barcelona in the semifinals of this year's competition was one of the all-time classic contests — winning 7-6 on aggregate. Al-Hilal's impressive run has come after Inzaghi spent just one week training with the team before the tournament. Even if they are eliminated in the next round, a quarterfinals appearance would represent an outstanding campaign for a team that was not expected to compete for the title. Saudi Arabia's investment in sport is undoubtedly paying off and Al-Hilal's run is succeeding in raising the profile of its soccer league.
