Karim Benzema, the Al-Ittihad star, was injured while participating with his team against Al-Khaleej in the matches of round 15 of the Saudi League.
After 38 minutes of the first half, Benzema indicated to the Al-Ittihad technical staff that he should be replaced due to pelvic pain, and coach Marcelo Gallardo did not hesitate to remove him for fear that his injury would be compounded.
Despite the early exit, the French international was one of the stars of the match, after he scored one goal and assisted another in the match that saw the Jeddah Tigers lead by two goals to one in the first half.
According to Saudi media, this injury is the same that the player suffered with the French national team before the start of the 2022 World Cup, which caused him to be away from the field for 20 days and lose the opportunity to participate with the Roosters in the World Cup.
Benzema's injury represents a strong blow to Al-Ittihad, as the Saudi club prepares for the start of the 2023 Club World Cup in Jeddah, when it faces New Zealand's Auckland City team on December 12. If the injury is the same as before, he will not join the competition even if his team reaches the final.
Benzema is the second Al-Ameed player to have suffered a nerve injury recently, after defender Hassan Kadesh, and the duo's position on joining the Club World Cup remains ambiguous.
Benzema, 35 years old, is Al-Ittihad’s top scorer this season in all tournaments, after scoring 9 goals in the Roshen League, and another goal in the AFC Champions League.
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