Benzema breaks his silence: "I'm at Madrid. What they say on the internet isn't reality"

There has been lots of speculation about whether or not Karim Benzema's time was up at Real Madrid. There were rumours of a huge offer from Saudi Arabia and several outlets reported that this press conference would be where he announced his departure. However his message was far less clear-cut.

Speaking to 'Marca' on stage, Benzema recalled his time at the Spanish club, where he arrived in 2009 from Olympique Lyonnais: "I was a child when I arrived at Real Madrid ... I only wanted to enjoy it and look at everything I've won", he stated.

"There's no other club like Real Madrid, the greatest names of this sport have played here", he added. Benzema has won 4 La Liga titles and 3 'Copa del Rey' trophies with the Spanish giants, as well as 4 consecutive Champions Leagues, adding a 5th last year. Between Spanish Super Cups, UEFA Super Cups and Club World Cups, the French international has also added another 12 titles to his trophy case during his time in Spain.

He was then asked several questions by children who were present on stage at the press conference, one of whom was brave enough to ask about his future. Initially he only replied rather cryptically, "If I'm staying? I'm only thinking about Sunday (final match of La Liga)".

But he added after, "Respond to questions about my future? What future? I'm here at Real Madrid. What they say on the internet isn't reality".

Although he seemed to deny the rumours of his departure, he made no concrete statements about renewing his contract with the club, so it remains unclear how long Madrid will be able to fight off the multi-million dollar offers heading Benzema's way from Saudi Arabia.

 

June 1, 2023