Karim Benzema is reportedly considering retiring. Revelation made by the Spanish media Revealed which puts forward as argument, a form of weariness on the part of the French striker of Al-Ittihad, he who has been subject to a physical routine on par with the best athletes in the world, since the start of his career. This is also what justifies the fact that he is still active, at 36 years old.
Also mentioned is his reconversion, which he could do in Madrid, in the service of Real, which he has served for so long and of which he would become an ambassador. Karim Benzema is in the twilight of his career, but he is normally linked to Al-Ittihad until 2026. He joined the Jeddah club in 2023, for a three-year contract and a salary of 100 million euros annually, which puts him just behind Cristiano Ronaldo, in the ranking of the highest paid footballers in the world (excluding sponsorship income).
Can Karim Benzema give up so much money promised to him? Certainly, because his career is already very rich. Both sporting success, mainly with Real Madrid. And money, hard and fast. American media Boardroomthe one notably created by a certain Kevin Durant, a sort of equivalent to Karim Benzema in NBA basketball, estimated during the summer of 2023 at a little more than 150 million dollars (around 145 million euros), the equivalent of his career income.
Karim Benzema has had a rich sporting and financial career
Obviously with one more season spent in Saudi Arabia, his score has grown. And we are only talking here about income on the green rectangle, because Karim Benzema has also earned from his commercial partners, even if at this level, his career has long suffered from his legal or extra-sporting disputes, between the Zahia affair and Valbuena. Without forgetting his sidelining from the Blues by Didier Deschamps. Enough to make sponsors cautious.
But one brand never gave up, even at the height of the storm: its equipment supplier Adidas. In its 2024 report, the highest paid footballers in the world, Forbes estimated his income from sponsorships at $4 million over the twelve months of its study. Sometimes he earned more, other times less. Over the length of his career, this represents around fifty million dollars in addition to the rest (€47.5 million). Enough to enjoy a golden retirement…
