Karim Benzema: I will never forget Real Madrid

French striker Karim Benzema said goodbye on Tuesday to Real Madrid, for whom he played for 14 seasons and won 25 titles, the entity’s most successful footballer, assuring that he would “never” forget the club, admitting that it was a day “and a little sad”. because it hurts him to leave the merengue group, where he “wanted to end” his career.

«Thanks to my teammates and Real Madrid. It was a good trip, thank you for making my childhood dream come true. Thanks to press, he was barely 21 years old and he went to my house (to sign me). I will never forget Real Madrid, it is impossible, it is the best club in the world in history. But today it’s time for me to go and see another story, but the most important thing for me is what I won here,” said the Frenchman at his farewell in Valdebebas.

The striker, who is saying goodbye after 647 official games – the fifth in the club’s history – and 354 goals – he is Real Madrid’s second top scorer – wanted to bring back the expression he used on the day of his presentation in the summer of 2009: « ! ‘1, 2, 3, Hala Madrid!'”. This is how he caused applause in the room with his teammates, coach Carlo Ancelotti; the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez; former players Roberto Carlos, Raúl González and Álvaro Arbeloa.

«It’s a bit of a sad day, I’m leaving this club and it hurts, because I had a dream and I wanted to finish here, but life gives you opportunities. But Real Madrid will always be my family. Thanks to the fans who gave me the strength to be what I am today,” Benzema concluded, recalling Ancelotti, the coach, in his speech.top“with which he “learned a lot” and which gave him “great confidence” from the beginning.

Real Madrid announced last Sunday that the French striker, the captain of the team, will not continue next season at the club, so the reigning Ballon d’Or winner has ended a period of 14 campaigns in the Real Madrid shirt before embarking on a new professional adventure, predictably at Saudi Al-Ittihad.

9 of Real Madrid thus put an end to an extensive and fruitful journey in the Chamartín entity, from which he leaves as a legend and icon confirmed by more than twenty joint successes and winning the Ballon d’Or in 2022, as the culmination of a season, last year, unforgettable for the Frenchman and Real Madrid Symbol, along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, the new galacticos, Benzema is saying goodbye to the club of his life, in which he managed to convince himself through hard work quietly and world-class football. He defended the white jersey for 14 seasons and played a total of 648 official games, he is the fifth player with the most games in the history of Real Madrid.

To this should be added his 354 goals, the second best scorer of the entity, behind Cristiano Ronaldo. The Frenchman has surpassed other white legends such as Alfredo Di Stefano, Raúl González, ‘Santillana’, Ferenc Puskas, Gento and Emilio Butragueño in his long spell at Real Madrid.