French footballing star and former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has posted a picture of himself performing Umrah at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
The picture from the Holy Mosque showed Benzema wearing the ihram, and was captioned, “Alhamdulillah for everything…”.
The picture comes weeks after Benzema used the same caption confirming his departure from Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal on August 31.
The 38-year-old is currently without a club after Al Hilal and Benzema mutually agreed to terminate his contract, bringing his stay with the club to an end within just six months.
It, however, was a short but productive spell.
Benzema scored 10 goals and provided five assists in 16 appearances across all competitions, and he also won the King’s Cup with the club.
He was also linked with an emotional return to Lyon, where he began his professional career.
Lyon sporting director Matthieu Louis Jean confirmed there was contact through an intermediary this summer, but he said Benzema’s contractual situation prevented the move from progressing.
There has even been an invitation for Benzema to go to Dubai as UAE Second Division side Arabian Falcons included the former Ballon d’Or winner among a number of high-profile free agents they invited to train and play for the club without a long-term commitment.
Their manager, former Liverpool and Newcastle midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, had a simple message for the stars still looking for clubs: “Don’t sit on the sidelines; come and show what you’ve got over in Dubai.”
The idea is that players can train, get competitive minutes and then leave when the right opportunity arrives. Benzema was named alongside the likes of Paul Pogba, Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho in the invitation.
For now, Benzema’s next move remains unclear as despite leaving Al Hilal, he still has an ambassadorial agreement with the Saudi Pro League until 2030.
Reports say the former Ballon d’Or winner intends to continue playing and is weighing his options.
