Photos: Karim Benzema on his way to Saudi Arabia after signing Al Ittihad contract

Football superstar Karim Benzema headed to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah on Wednesday after signing with the Kingdom’s Al Ittihad club, according to photos shared on Twitter.

The club shared photos of Benzema boarding a private plane with the caption, “Farewell, Madrid! Our new striker, Karim Benzema, is on his way to Jeddah. Are you ready? Champions?”

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Benzema also shared a story on his Instagram account, announcing that he was on his way to Saudi Arabia as part of another remarkable move by a Saudi football club.

The French striker is the latest football superstar to join a Saudi club after Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr earlier this year. The moves have further shed global light on Saudi clubs and the Saudi Pro League amid Saudi Arabia’s goal to elevate the sports scene in the Kingdom in line with Vision 2030.

Al Ittihad club, which won its first Saudi league title since 2009 this year, officially announced that Benzema joined its ranks on Tuesday.

The club made the announcement after it was revealed on Sunday that the striker left Real Madrid after 14 years.

Benzema, who signed with the club for a three-year-contract, said in a statement was he was “excited” to start this new experience with a club that “has an amazing history, incredibly passionate fans and big ambitions in football to be a force in Asia after winning the league.”

The footballer added that he is looking forward to helping take the club and the game in Saudi Arabia to new levels, saying he is “here to win” as he did in Europe.

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