N'Golo Kante is welcomed at Al-Ittihad by Karim Benzema.
After the Chelsea midfielder successfully finalised his transfer to the Saudi giants, Karim Benzema welcomed his French countryman N'Golo Kante to Al-Ittihad.
Kante, 32, has officially signed a four-year contract to play for Al-Numoor after leaving Chelsea. According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, he will reportedly make €25 million year with the Saudi Pro League champions.
The Frenchman is the newest well-known figure to travel to the Middle East, joining Benzema. The legendary Real Madrid player greeted his former teammate from France at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
On their Twitter page, Al-Ittihad shared a video of the two introducing themselves as Kante arrived. The former captain of Madrid said:
Hello, N'Golo I once told you that you were the best box to box player in the world. I'm excited to play with you again right now. Of course, in the greatest Saudi team. We'll meet in Jeddah.
In response to his fellow countryman's greeting, Kante said: "Thank you, Karim. It's good to see you again. I'm thrilled to be playing against the best player in the world, you.
Earlier this year, the French midfielder appeared close to agreeing to a new deal with Chelsea.
He is now on his way to Al-Ittihad to join Benzema in the Saudi champions' lineup because no extension was reached.In his seven years at Stamford Bridge, Kante rose to legendary status with the Blues.
Throughout his 269 games in various leagues, he contributed 16 assists in addition to his 13 goals. He captured the FA Cup, Premier League, and Champions League titles.
Benzema now holds the Ballon d'Or alongside Al-Ittihad. The award was given to the French forward following a standout season with Madrid in 2021–2022.44 goals were scored by the prolific striker in 46 games across all competitions that season.
He finished with 15 goals in La Liga and 27 goals in the Champions League. The Frenchman was crucial to Los Blancos' victory in both matches.
After his outstanding performances in 2017, Benzema received the support of Chelsea star Joe Cole to win the Ballon d'Or. He said to BT Sport
He is growing better as he gets older. As of right now, he has won the Ballon d'Or contest by a distance of a few furlongs. It is incredible that he has said, "I am in charge of the orchestra now, everything goes through me," at this point in his career. He is a fantastic football player.
One of the world's top goal scorers, the 35-year-old joins Al-Ittihad. He played 648 games for Madrid and scored 354 goals. He will also face Cristiano Ronaldo, an Al-Nassr player and former teammate of his from Los Blancos.
