Cristiano Ronaldo influenced my Saudi move – Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema, former Real Madrid forward,has disclosed that his former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, influenced his decision to move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad.

Benzema, who spent 14 years at Real Madrid, officially joined the Saudi club on Tuesday.

The Frenchman joins Ronaldo whom he claimed is a good friend and showed that Saudi football was getting ahead.

“Al Ittihad is a new challenge for me. It’s a good league and there are many good players.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is already here, he is a friend who shows that Saudi Arabia is starting to get ahead and I am here to win as I did in Europe,” Benzema said.

The Ballon d’Or winner signed a two-year contract that will see him earn a whopping sum of €200m annually.