Benzema moved on a free transfer, but it was very much not free
Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema has officially completed his move to Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
Benzema’s signing stretches the definition of the phrase “free transfer” farther than any such move in the game’s history. His contract had expired in Madrid so the Saudi side didn’t have to pay a transfer fee, but they are still spending a lot on the 35-year-old.
The reigning Ballon d’Or winner will reportedly be paid €200 million per season in net salary over a two-year contract, which has an option to extend for another season.
“I am excited to experience a new football league in a different country. Al-Ittihad Club has an amazing history, incredibly passionate fans and big ambitions in football to be a force in Asia after winning the league,” Benzema said in Al Ittihad’s announcement.
“I have been fortunate to achieve amazing things in my career and achieve everything I can in Spain and Europe. It now feels the time is right for a new challenge and project. Every time I’ve visited Saudi Arabia I’ve always felt such warmth and love from the fans and people. I am looking forward to joining my new teammates and, together with them, help take this amazing club and the game in Saudi Arabia to new levels.”
Benzema joins his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League and after the country’s sovereign wealth fund took over four teams this week — including Al Ittihad — more spending is sure to follow.
Lionel Messi has been tipped to follow Benzema to the gulf state, while N’Golo Kante and Wilfried Zaha are also among the names reportedly considering a move to the Saudi Pro League.
All of this comes amid the backdrop of earth-shattering news from the world of golf, with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour completing a merger with the PGA Tour on the same day that Benzema’s signing was made official.
The Middle Eastern country’s influence on the world of sports is only set to grow in the coming years.
In its pursuit of big names, Saudi Arabia will aim to overwhelm the competition financially
Four of the biggest clubs in Saudi Arabia have been taken over by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund.
PIF, which also owns Newcastle United, will take a 75 percent stake in Al Ittihad, Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Nassr. The remaining 25 percent of those clubs will be held by non-profit foundations.
“Four Saudi clubs … have been transformed into companies, each of which is owned by PIF and non-profit foundations for each club,” a statement said.
“The transfer of the four clubs will unleash various commercial opportunities, including investment, partnership and sponsorships across numerous sports.”
Saudi Arabia has been aiming to turn its league into a destination for some of the world’s top talent. In order to sign some of the biggest stars, the PIF has undertaken the same strategy that its nascent LIV Golf tour has: offer more money than anybody else could dream.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete after his move to Al Nassr, according to Forbes, with an annual compensation of an estimated $136 million.
Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema is set to join Al Ittihad and will be paid a reported $643 million over a three-year deal.
Karim Benzema — one of the greatest strikers of all time — is signing with Saudi club Al-Ittihad, per @FabrizioRomano.
The crown jewel, of course, is Lionel Messi, who is already a paid spokesman for Saudi Arabia’s tourism bureau. The Argentine superstar has left PSG as a free agent, and has reportedly been offered somewhere between $375 to $642 million per year to join Al Hilal.
Messi’s father Jorge said on Monday that the 35-year-old “would love to return to Barcelona,” but it remains to be seen if the Blaugrana have the capability to even make an offer amid the club’s ongoing financial difficulties.
Inter Miami is also pushing to make Messi one of the biggest signings in MLS history. But Miami, like Barcelona and every other club, will be well aware that if a team in Saudi Arabia really wants a player now, they won’t be outspent.
Jorge Messi hit out at “malicious” reports, which nonetheless are probably true
Lionel Messi’s father and agent Jorge Messi has hit out against “malicious” reports that the Argentina superstar’s move to Saudi Arabia for next season is a done deal.
The AFP news agency reported that Messi would join an as-yet-unnamed club in the kingdom next season after his PSG contract expires. The contract, a source told the AFP, “is exceptional. It’s huge.”
L’Equipe followed with their own report that Messi had a verbal agreement in place with a Saudi club, though nothing had been signed.
In response to those reports, Jorge Messi posted a fiery statement on his Instagram story.
“There is absolutely nothing [in place] with any club for next season,” he said. “The decision will never be taken before Lionel finishes the league campaign with PSG.
“Once the season is finished, it will be time to analyze what is happening and to take a decision. There are always rumors, and many use Lionel’s name to gain notoriety, but there is only one truth, and we can ensure that there is nothing with no one. Neither verbal, nor signed, nor agreed, and there won’t be until the season is finished.
“For me, the fact that there are people that lie in a deliberate and conscious manner, without bringing forward a shred of proof to back up their statements, and who want to turn every ill-intentioned, or self-interested rumor into news, is lacking respect for the media they work for. They may have to explain why their news isn’t confirmed… they won’t want the truth to ruin their ‘news’.”
All signs pointing to Saudi Arabia
Though Messi’s father strongly denied any move had been agreed, there is too much smoke here to ignore.
Messi’s time with PSG is certain to end when the season comes to a close after the club suspended the Argentina superstar for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia — the final act of a relationship that had been declining for months.
Barcelona is keen on a storybook return for Messi, but it’s unclear if club, player and La Liga will be able to align on the complicated financial package that will be required. Inter Miami, meanwhile, remains interested, but MLS simply can’t come close to the riches on offer in Saudi Arabia.
The AFP and L’Equipe are generally reliable sources. Messi is already a paid spokesperson for the gulf kingdom. Joining a Saudi club for untold riches seems the next logical step.
The Al Nassr star is back atop the list for the first time since 2017. But his stay may be short lived
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the world’s highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, according to Forbes.
The publication released its list of the 10 highest-paid athletes for 2023, which was topped by Ronaldo for the first time since 2017. Lionel Messi came in second and Kylian Mbappé was third.
The trio were the only soccer players on the list, and all draw their huge salaries from Middle Eastern countries. Messi and Mbappé are teammates at Qatari-owned PSG.
Except, not for long! Widespread reports on Wednesday stated that Messi would be leaving PSG at the end of the season when his contract expires. The divorce has been in the works for a while, but was sped up when PSG suspended Messi on Tuesday for an unauthorized trip to — you guessed it — Saudi Arabia.
Messi’s next trip to Saudi Arabia could see him regain his spot atop the Forbes list in 2024. The Telegraph reported that Messi’s representatives are in talks with the Saudi government — for which Messi is already a paid spokesperson — over a deal to bring him to the Saudi Pro League that would be worth a total of $400 million per year.
That would dwarf Ronaldo’s total package of an estimated $136 million.
In a very related story, golfers Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson also appear on the Forbes list after leaving the PGA Tour for Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Forbes Top 10 money list in 2023
1. Cristiano Ronaldo ($136 million)
2. Lionel Messi ($130m)
3. Kylian Mbappé ($120m)
4. LeBron James ($119.5m)
5. Canelo Álvarez ($110m)
6. Dustin Johnson ($107m)
7. Phil Mickelson ($106m)
8. Stephen Curry ($100.4m)
9. Roger Federer ($95.1m)
10. Kevin Durant ($89.1m)
Cristiano Ronaldo is in Saudi Arabia to make lots and lots of money of course, but he also would like to win some silverware.
And as that possibility begins to slip away, the Portuguese forward is starting to look a little frustrated.
As the Saudi Pro League reaches the business end of its campaign, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr side suffered a damaging 2-0 loss to Al Hilal on Tuesday.
The loss drops Al Nassr to three points behind first-place Al Ittihad, which now has a game in hand. The frustration of dropping three vital points appeared to get the best of Ronaldo in one particular second-half incident, which appeared to come straight out of WWE.
Al Hilal defender Gustavo Cuéllar was shielding Ronaldo off the ball, and the Portugal star’s solution was to simply wrap both arms around Cuéllar’s neck and attempt to separate his head from his body.
Cristiano Ronaldo got a yellow from Michael Oliver for this headlock 😅
Referee Michael Oliver (yes, that Michael Oliver) decided that Ronaldo’s transgression was only worth a yellow card — a generous interpretation of the law, but one that wouldn’t help Al Nassr much on the night.
The 58-year-old returns to coaching for the first time in three years
Former U.S. and Germany men’s national team head coach Jürgen Klinsmann has been named the new boss of the South Korea national team.
Klinsmann, 58, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract and is set to lead South Korea through the 2026 World Cup in North America.
The ex-Germany national team star takes over from Paulo Bento, who stepped down after leading South Korea to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“I know that the Korean national team has been improving and achieving results over a long period of time,” Klinsmann said in a statement. “I am honored to follow in the footsteps of the great coaches who have led the Korean national team, from Gus Hiddink to my predecessor, Paulo Bento.”
It will be Klinsmann’s first head coaching position since he stepped down after just 10 weeks in charge of Hertha Berlin in February 2020.
After a legendary playing career, Klinsmann took over as Germany head coach and led his country to a third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup on home soil, which was seen as a major achievement.
That tournament was followed by a less successful spell in charge of Bayern Munich before he took over the USMNT in July 2011.
Klinsmann’s time in charge of the U.S. was full of highs and lows. He led the team to the 2013 Gold Cup before guiding them out of a difficult group at the 2014 World Cup. That tournament was proceeded by perhaps the most infamous moment of his time as U.S. coach: leaving Landon Donovan off the team’s roster.
The German was outspoken in his belief that American players should strive to play in Europe, which rankled some who saw it as disparaging of MLS. Klinsmann’s ultimate downfall, though, was the USMNT’s slow start to 2018 World Cup qualifying, which saw him sacked in November 2016 despite previously having signed a contract extension through the 2018 World Cup.
Bruce Arena was brought in to save the U.S. but to no avail, as the team shockingly missed out on Russia 2018.
Klinsmann will relocate to South Korea, per the federation’s announcement, after previously residing in Los Angeles for many years.
Russia is considering its options as it continues to be suspended by FIFA and UEFA
Could Russia leave UEFA to join up with the AFC instead? One of its biggest stars sure hopes not.
Russia’s national teams and club teams have been suspended by UEFA and FIFA for a year now, following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. With the war seemingly far from over and the suspensions still in place, Russia has reportedly begun mulling over a switch to the Asian confederation.
CSKA Moscow and Russia international Fedor Chalov would not be pleased if that were the case, as he said in an interview with Sport24.
The publication asked the striker if he was mentally prepared to face the fact that he may have played his final match in European competition more than a year ago.
He replied: “I really hope that’s not the case.”
Chalov added on the possibility of a shift to Asia: “Nobody is interested. Not a single person watches the AFC Champions League.
“There are many good players there. But I will never believe that the Asian Champions League will be more interesting than the European one.”
The 24-year-old forward would know, having scored against Real Madrid in 2018 in a famous away win for CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.
Chalov has been capped four times by the Russia national team since he earned his first call-up in 2019. Since it was suspended by FIFA and UEFA, Russia has only played three matches, all of which were friendlies against Asian countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Questions about soccer were rare. Airing of grievances was the order of the day
AL-RAYYAN, Qatar – In hindsight, the tenor of things was revealed from the moment Carlos Queiroz and Karim Ansarifard received a hearty round of applause as they strode into the wood-paneled auditorium deep inside the Qatari National Convention Centre.
That was just the start of an antagonistic and deeply surreal press conference.
The room that hosted both teams’ pregame availability one day ahead of the enormous — Ansarifard politely called it “a very sensitive game” — United States vs. Iran World Cup match was almost full, with representatives of US, Iranian and overseas journalists alike. Only one of those groups was clapping for Team Melli’s manager and striker, though.
An urbane, charismatic presence, Quieroz has led the Iranian side for most of the past decade. And his back-and-forth with Iran’s press pack — most of it hailing from state-affiliated outlets — flashed the cleverness by which he has endeared himself to so many across the nation without antagonizing the complex network of political factors that affect so much of high-level sports in the Islamic Republic.
While he did not utter the words “stick to sports,” that message was crystal clear.
“If after 42 years in this game as a coach, I still believe that I could win games with those mental games, I think I did not learn anything about the game. And this is not the case,” said Queiroz when asked about allegations of gamesmanship and skulduggery by the U.S. and Jurgen Klinsmann ahead of this fixture. “Those collective set of events that are surrounding this World Cup, I hope it will be a good lesson for all of us in the future. And that in the next event, we’ll be learning that our mission here is to create entertainment. And at least during 90 minutes, make the people happy.
That was likely music to the ears of both Iranian and Qatari government officials infuriated by media coverage of the ongoing human-rights protests that have roiled the streets of Iran for months, with hundreds reportedly killed and thousands arrested in state reprisals. Or the host nation’s questionable track record with migrant labor, laws criminalizing homosexuality and widespread reports of corruption around the awarding of this tournament.
It certainly drew another loud ovation from the Iranian press, who clapped a third time when Queiroz and Ansarifard left the room, with a FIFA official not offering any of the women journalists in the room a chance to pose a question.
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The reception given to USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter and captain Tyler Adams a little under an hour later was drastically different.
“Tomorrow, perhaps it’s going to be the most sensitive game of this Cup,” an Iranian journalist stated in the second question of the United States’ presser. “If we made a survey of the whole world, what percentage of the population of the world will be happy because of the win of the national team of Iran, and what percentage of the whole population of the world will be happy because of the United States soccer team wins?
“I know that a lot of other constituents have another feeling towards it. But for us, it’s a soccer game against a good team. And it’s not much more than that,” said Berhalter. “It’s a knockout game, both teams want to go to the next round, both teams are desperate to go to the next round. And that’s how we’re looking at this match. We’re very focused on what we could do as a team, as are they. And we think it’s going to be a good soccer game.”
The questions posed by Iranians grew more and more strident. After Adams offered a seemingly earnest declaration of support for “Iran’s people and Iran’s team,” but added that his team is “laser focused” on securing the victory that will see them through to the knockout stages, another journalist called out his mispronunciation of the country’s name (Adams said I-ran rather than eee-ron).
Then he asked the USMNT captain if he was “OK to be representing a country that has so much discrimination against Black people in its own borders?” and where “there’s so much discrimination happening against Black people in America.”
Adams was measured in his response.
“My apologies on the mispronunciation of your country,” said the 23-year-old midfielder. “That being said, there’s discrimination everywhere you go. One thing that I’ve learned, especially from living abroad in the past years, and having to fit in in different cultures and kind of assimilate into different cultures, is that in the U.S., we’re continuing to make progress every single day. Growing up for me, I grew up in a white family with obviously an African-American heritage and background as well.
“So I had a little bit of different cultures, and I was very easily able to assimilate in different cultures. So not everyone has that ease and the ability to do that. And obviously, it takes longer to understand and through education, I think it’s super important. Like you just educated me now on the pronunciation of your country. So yeah, it’s a process, I think. As long as you see progress, that’s the most important thing.”
🎙️ La rueda de prensa más incómoda de lo que llevamos de Mundial.
🎥 Tyler Adams contestó una de las preguntas a un periodista iraní sobre el racismo en Estados Unidos.
The queries from Iranian reporters ran the gamut of their nation’s frustrations with the United States government and its foreign policy.
“Why is it that you do not ask your government to take away its military fleet from the Persian Gulf?”
“It seems the U.S. media have also started the mind games and attack like England and U.K. [media], we have never seen in sports that something like this has happened.”
“I’ve been in New York about two months ago, and there was no support to your team [due to] the high rise of inflation and economic problems. Do you think the American people support your team and you?”
“How is your reaction when I tell you U.S. passport [holders], they can be welcome to Iran anytime, and they can visit anywhere in Iran. But the same time Iranian passport, they can’t enter USA or United States lands, otherwise they have to make some problems?”
“Jurgen Klinsmann and his offense to head coach of Iran, Mr. Queiroz, he was starting psychological warfare to Iran or not?”
On and on went the fusillade of grievance, with Iranian journalists making clear that their members see great unfairness being inflicted on their team and its nation, leaving Adams and Berhalter nonplussed.
“I don’t know enough about politics. I’m a soccer coach,” Berhalter said at one point. “And I’m not well-versed on international politics.”
It was a surreal moment, and underlined — if the USMNT could possibly have any remaining doubt — just how many layers of meaning and controversy have been layered atop this zero-sum match.
“Sports is a huge opportunity to bring people together,” Adams said. “We continue to show our support and our empathy for what’s obviously happening to the Iranian team and the people. That being said, we do have a game to focus on.”
The 22-year-old is looking like one of the World Cup’s breakout stars
Mohammed Kudus came to this World Cup full of confidence. Two games in, it’s easy to see why.
Kudus has been one of the breakout stars in the early going, tallying an assist for Ghana in an opening loss to Portugal before scoring a pair of goals in a wild 3-2 win over South Korea on Monday.
The 22-year-old playmaker netted a first-half header to give his side a 2-0 lead. But South Korea struck back in the second half, with Cho Gue-sung scoring two quick goals to equalize.
Kudus was not done, however, and he swept home a 68th-minute goal to complete his brace and give Ghana the winner it so desperately needed after falling in its opener.
2 – At 22 years and 118 days old, Mohammed Kudus is the second youngest African player to score two goals in a World Cup match, after Ahmed Musa (21y 254d) for Nigeria against Argentina in 2014. Kudos. pic.twitter.com/4xkKDkJQLH
Prior to the World Cup, Kudus told The Guardian of Neymar, a player he and his teammates could see in the knockout round: “He’s not better than me. He’s just a higher profile player, that’s all,”
Kudus has made a name for himself at Ajax after his 2020 arrival from Danish side Nordsjælland. The 22-year-old operates as a No. 10 who is equally comfortable scoring goals or creating them. His exploits in the Netherlands has led to interest from big clubs abroad, which will only be amplified by his first two games in Qatar.
Kudus knows he hasn’t reached the heights that Neymar has during his career. But he’s making steady progress and as his first two World Cup games have shown, it may not be a good idea to bet against him.
“What makes [Neymar] better, for now, is that he has achieved a lot,” Kudus said. I’ll get there soon.”
The architect of Project 2010 is now trying to end project 2022
AL-RAYYAN, Qatar – A savvy, charismatic, multi-national polyglot with a fascination for the particularities of the American spirit: One could make the case that Carlos Queiroz was American soccer’s Jurgen Klinsmann before Jurgen Klinsmann was.
While Klinsmann has been a constant presence in the nation’s footballing consciousness for more than a decade thanks to his television commentary work and time in charge of the U.S. men’s national team that followed, the Portuguese manager was a quietly influential figure on the domestic scene before the turn of the century.
Though he would become a globetrotting coach with an array of high-powered destinations on his resume, Queiroz maintained U.S. ties through a network of colleagues and relationships that stretches from New York to Chicago to Manchester to Tehran and, eventually, to Doha today.
Here he leads Iran into a massive World Cup match with the USMNT on Tuesday, with Group B’s results pitting the longtime geopolitical antagonists in a zero-sum situation for advancement to the tournament’s knockout stages. The Yanks need a win at Al Thumama Stadium to reach the round of 16, while a draw would be enough to see Team Melli through.
In several ways, Queiroz’s ideas served as a sort of Rosetta Stone for the dramatic evolution of the player development pathway that produced so many members of the current USMNT squad. He arrived stateside in the spring of 1996 to take over the coaching duties of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars during Major League Soccer’s inaugural season.
“I realized immediately the great potential of United States soccer,” Queiroz told Soccer America in 2018. “What I found was the beginning of a huge project to create and help develop soccer in the United States.”
Not long after, the U.S. Soccer Federation launched Project 2010, an ambitious big-picture plan to orient multiple levels of the sport towards the pursuit of excellence in time to compete for the trophy at that year’s World Cup.
Federation leaders, mindful of his past role in cultivating Portugal’s “golden generation,” tabbed Queiroz and his friend and colleague Dan Gaspar to provide “an independent look at the landscape here with a third-party point of view,” as Sunil Gulati would later put it.
Its general outline was released just before France 1998, where the USMNT’s woebegone last-place performance delivered a painful reality check.
The 113-page “Q report” wasn’t exactly implemented in full. Yet its concepts helped lay the groundwork for innovations like the U.S. Soccer Development Academy youth league, upgraded coaching education structures and a national talent scouting network.
In fact, the federation was impressed enough that tentative plans were mooted for Queiroz to take over the USMNT after Steve Sampson’s departure, although that never came to pass. He would go on to manage Real Madrid, work alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and lead a diverse list of national teams from Portugal to South Africa.
Nowhere did he build a legacy quite like with Iran. He’s led Team Melli at three consecutive World Cups across two stints in charge, and is now just one positive result away from steering them into the knockout stages for the first time ever.
(Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)
A hard-charging personality who’s said to thrive on four hours of sleep a night, Queiroz has earned the loyalty of fans and players while managing to walk the tightrope required in the treacherous, politicized environment of Iranian sports, a domain government officials often involve themselves in.
He’s also drawn headlines for his outspoken defenses of his players, who are under a microscope in Qatar, just across the Persian Gulf from Iran. Huge numbers of supporters on both sides of the political divide are flocking to their matches while the human-rights protests and deadly government reprisals that have roiled their homeland since September loom large.
Making sure to note Klinsmann’s perceived “German/American” allegiances, Queiroz called his remarks “prejudiced,” “outrageous” and “a disgrace to football” before calling on him to resign from his position on FIFA’s Technical Study Group.
Klinsmann responded that his words were “taken completely wrong” and “taken out of context,” suggesting that his past role in charge of the USMNT had led Iranians to see him as a provocateur and pledging to get in touch with Queiroz and “calm things down.” The subsequent controversy over U.S. Soccer’s use of an altered Iran flag with the symbols of its hardline Islamic government removed has only roiled the waters further.
“It is unique. It is something different,” said U.S. defender Tim Ream on Sunday in a tense press conference attended by media from both nations. “But at the same time, we’re all human, we understand that there are things going on that are out of our control. And so that’s where we find ourselves. Again, we understand and empathize with the Iranian people. And at the end of the day, we are still having to focus on what is our job.”
It all shapes Tuesday into a metaphorical powder keg, as well as an on-field scenario that favors Queiroz, known for his organized, defensively resilient tactics. If the Yanks are unable to dig out the victory they require to reach the round of 16, they’ll have been undone by an adversary who knows them and their soccer culture just about as well as any opposing manager could.
