Much has changed from last season at Al Ittihad, but one constant at the club has been captain Karim Benzema. The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner has returned for the 2024-25 season of the Roshn Saudi League with a renewed sense of purpose.
”This season, our objectives are clear, not to mention last year: to do better, much better, because we have the quality, the players, we have everything we need to be in the best conditions to do better, to enjoy ourselves. From a personal point of view, we also want to do better from the beginning to the end of the season, and win titles.”
It has been helped by the arrivals of fellow French head coach Laurent Blanc, old teammates Housam Aouar and Moussa Diaby, and even rivals from his days in Europe, as Al Ittihad look to bounce back – and then some – from last term’s dispiriting title defence.
”He’s (Laurent Blanc) someone who knows soccer, someone who’s very close to his players. He’s someone you can talk to and exchange ideas with. For him, who plays and who doesn’t are equally important. That’s good for us, and good for me too.”
