Karim Benzema
The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner has terminated his Saudi contract by mutual agreement, leaving one of football’s greatest modern careers at a crossroads
By Pascal Okoth
Karim Benzema has terminated his contract with Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal by mutual agreement, leaving the 38-year-old French striker to decide whether he will play on elsewhere or bring the curtain down on one of the most decorated careers in modern football.
The departure, confirmed yesterday, was reached without dispute between the two parties — a clean break that ends Benzema’s Saudi chapter at Al Hilal and opens what could be the final act of a career spanning more than two decades at the highest level. No timeline has been given for his decision, and those close to him say he intends to take his time before committing either way.
The options before him are straightforward but significant. He could remain in Saudi Arabia with a different club, continuing in a league he already knows well and where he has established himself during the latter stages of his career. He could look further afield, with clubs elsewhere likely to register interest given his experience, reputation and technical quality. Or he could retire — a genuine possibility, according to those familiar with his thinking, though no final decision has been made.
Whatever he chooses, the weight of what he has already achieved provides more than enough context for the deliberation. Benzema’s career was built on a foundation of consistency, intelligence and an ability to perform when it mattered most — qualities that became particularly apparent during his extraordinary final years at Real Madrid, the club he joined from Lyon in 2009 and where he would eventually become one of the most important players in the club’s modern history.
For much of his time in Madrid, Benzema operated alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, contributing goals and creativity while the Portuguese star commanded the spotlight. When Ronaldo departed for Juventus in 2018, Benzema stepped fully into the leading role — and the transformation was remarkable. He became Madrid’s heartbeat, a complete forward whose value extended well beyond his goal tally. He linked play, created space, held the ball under pressure and unlocked defences with a football intelligence that made him consistently dangerous without always being the player who finished the chance.
The 2021-22 season was the undeniable peak. Benzema led Real Madrid to both the UEFA Champions League and La Liga title, delivering a series of performances in the knockout rounds of the Champions League that will be remembered for as long as the competition exists. His hat-trick against Paris Saint-Germain, his contributions against Chelsea and Manchester City in one of the most dramatic European campaigns in recent memory — these were not merely good performances. They were career-defining moments that confirmed what those who had watched him closely already knew.
The reward came in October 2022, when Benzema was awarded the Ballon d’Or — the highest individual honour in football and a recognition long overdue, in the view of many who had followed his career from its early days. He became only the second Frenchman to win the award after Zinedine Zidane, and at 34, one of the oldest recipients in the trophy’s history.
His subsequent move to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023 was part of the wider wave of elite players drawn to the Kingdom’s ambitious football project. The arrival of Benzema, alongside others of similar stature, signalled a new chapter both for him and for a league seeking to establish itself on the global stage. His time at Al Hilal has now concluded, and the questions surrounding his future are as much about appetite as they are about ability.
At 38, Benzema is no longer the explosive centre-forward who terrorised defences in his prime. But football intelligence does not diminish at the same rate as pace, and his ability to read the game, occupy space intelligently and bring teammates into play means he could still offer genuine value to a club with the right structure around him. Whether he has the desire to commit to another demanding professional season is the question only he can answer.
For Al Hilal, the departure creates space — and questions. The Saudi giants have invested heavily in building a squad capable of competing domestically and internationally, and Benzema’s exit will prompt fresh thinking about the club’s attacking options going into the next phase of their project.
For the football world, the next announcement from Benzema’s camp will be followed with the attention reserved for figures whose careers have genuinely mattered. From his early days at Lyon, through his transformation at Real Madrid, to his Ballon d’Or triumph and his Saudi Arabian chapter, his journey has been defined by major trophies, historic performances and a quiet, enduring excellence that outlasted the critics who once doubted him.
At 38, the next decision belongs entirely to Karim Benzema. And the football world is listening.
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