Free from Al-Hilal at 37, Benzema seeks fifth club with MLS option

Karim Benzema is now a free agent after reaching a mutual separation agreement with Al-Hilal, the Saudi club from Riyadh, a year before his contract was set to expire. The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, 37, is set to join a fifth club in his professional career.

According to Spanish sports daily AS, the French striker has received several offers, including at least one from the MLS. The source specifies that he has no intention of hanging up his boots at this stage.

On the Saudi side, the local press does not rule out a return to Al-Ittihad, the club where Benzema had played before joining Al-Hilal, and also cites Al-Shabab as a serious option. Benzema’s departure from Al-Hilal coincides with the announced arrival of Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal.

On the sporting front, Benzema played 16 matches with Al-Hilal over the last six months, scoring 10 goals and providing 5 assists. Figures that attest to preserved form despite recurring questions about his future.

A return to Olympique Lyonnais, his academy club, remains in people’s minds. In December, Benzema told L’Équipe: “I want to go back there because I left such a beautiful image… You never know what can happen.” He had however tempered his remarks by evoking a possible role off the pitch rather than a sporting adventure: “Help the club, in another area perhaps… But playing, I don’t know.”