What's gone wrong for Karim Benzema in Saudi Arabia?

From the first team video that emerged after Karim Benzema arrived at Al Ittihad, the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner didn't look comfortable.

Sat alone at the back of the coach, Benzema awkwardly watched his teammates rhythmically serenade their new talisman. Despite the apparent discomfort, Benzema marked his debut with a sumptuous winning goal.

The honeymoon period didn't last long. At the halfway stage of the season, the reigning top-flight champions trail table-topping Al Hilal by 25 points. Benzema can boast as many league goals (nine) as ex-Barcelona misfit Malcom and five fewer than Tottenham Hotspur 'hall-of-famer' Georges-Kevin N'Koudou.

Consequently, Benzema is reported to be searching for an escape route — although any transfer could prove complex given the numerous layers of bureaucracy that would have to sanction a move.

How did it come to this?

During the 2022/23 campaign, Benzema claimed the Ballon d'Or, while Aleksandar Mitrovic didn't even win Fulham's player of the season. Yet, when the pair went head-to-head in the first Saudi Classico of the current campaign, Mitrovic emerged with a victorious hat-trick.

Benzema found the net himself, deftly flicking beyond Al Hilal's Yassine Bounou as Al Ittihad raced into a 3-1 half-time lead. But the Tigers had no answer for the indefatigable visiting right-back Saud Abdulhamid, who swung the ball in for Mitrovic's first two goals.

The burly Serbian completed his treble with an equaliser from the penalty spot before Salem Al Dawsari somersaulted across the pitch in celebration of his unlikely winner in the 71st minute. Al Ittihad led the league without conceding a goal before Al Hilal punctured Benzema's bright start. They have not recovered since.

As Al Ittihad prepared for