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Watch: Karim Benzema hat-trick including nutmeg backheel as part of hat-trick on Al Hilal debut vs Al Okhdood

Karim Benzema joined Cristiano Ronaldo's title rivals on a free transfer

Written by Ben Miller
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Watch: Karim Benzema hat-trick including nutmeg backheel as part of hat-trick on Al Hilal debut vs Al Okhdood

Karim Benzema took 31 minutes to open his account for Al-Hilal with a nutmeg back heel to put his new club 1-0 ahead at Al-Okhdood on Thursday.

2022 Ballon d’Or winner Benzema, who completed his move from Al-Ittihad shortly before the Saudi Pro League transfer deadline on Tuesday, produced an audacious close-range finish from Nasser Al-Dawsari’s pass, sending the ball through the legs of centre-back Koray Gunter on the line before a check for offside allowed the goal.

Benzema completed his hat-trick with two goals inside five minutes after the restart, followed by one from Malcom and two by Salem Aldawsari to complete a 6-0 rout.

Former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, who joined Al-Hilal from the Reds for £46 million before the start of the season, was not in their matchday squad.

Al Hilal debut vs Al Okhdood: Benzema scores

Benzema’s move to Al-Hilal coincided with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo missing an Al-Nassr game amid reports suggesting the Portugal captain is disgruntled by his club’s lack of transfer activity.

Now 38, Benzema carried on where he left off at the Prince Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Nejran, where he scored a hat-trick for Al-Ittihad on the first day of this season.

Teammate Sergej Milinkovic-Savic thought he had made the breakthrough earlier in the first half with a neat strike from inside the box, only to be denied following a Video Assistant Review check.

MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo: The face of Saudi football, the disrespect and what happens now

Karim Benzema Al Hilal debut

Al-Hilal said there is “so much done” and “more to come” after Benzema marked his arrival at the Saudi Pro League giants with a video message to fans on Tuesday.

Benzema turned down a new deal at Al-Ittihad, with whom he won last season’s Saudi Pro League and King’s Cup, in favour of joining Al-Hilal, who started Thursday a point above Al-Nassr at the summit after 19 matches of the 34-game season.

“Big name,” Al-Hilal said in a social media post, sharing photos of Benzema posing in a club scarf. “Big ambitions.”

In a video message, Benzema said: “Hi, fans. How are you? I’m happy to be here. I’ve just landed from Jeddah. I’ll see you soon.”

Benzema vs Ronaldo

Benzema’s goal took the former France international to nine in 15 league appearances this season – one behind Al-Hilal top scorer Marcos Leonardo – and 16 goals in 21 games overall.

Ronaldo has 17 goals in 18 league matches and 18 goals in 22 games in all competitions. Ivan Toney’s 18 goals for Al-Ahli make the former England striker the leading marksman in the Saudi Pro League 2025/26.

Benzema is yet to register an assist this season but provided nine in 2024/25, all in the league. One of Ronaldo’s three assists in 2025/26 has been in the league, with three of his four assists last season coming in the division.

Cristiano Ronaldo contract

Ronaldo is yet to win the Saudi title despite top-scoring in the top flight in each of his two full seasons with Al-Nassr, who have potentially colosssal financial might through the country’s Public Investment Fund.

Shortly after Al-Nassr finished third last season – 13 points behind Al-Ittihad – Ronaldo appeared to strongly hint on social media that he had played his final game for the club.

He agreed a new contract exactly a month later, having scored in Portugal’s triumphant Nations League semi-final against Germany and final against Spain.

The five-time Champions League winner scored 35 goals in 41 matches across all competitions for Al-Nassr in 2024/25.

Cristiano Ronaldo playing football for Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo salary, wages

On financial website Forbes’ all-time list of the highest earning athletes in a year, only boxer Floyd Mayweather eclipses Ronaldo, having pocketed an estimated $300 million (£226m) in 2015 and $285m (£214.5m) in 2018.

Ronaldo was said to have surpassed $1 billion (£771m) in career earnings two years before becoming the most high-profile footballer to move to Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo’s first Al-Nassr deal was widely reported to be worth £14.75m a month or £3.4m per week. His annual salary was said to be £177m per year, made up of £62m for his football salary, supplemented by commercial bonuses.

Ronaldo has a variety of lucrative sponsorship deals, with his recent endorsements including Whoop, video game UFL and cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

Karim Benzema Real Madrid stats

Benzema’s 354 goals across 14 years for Real Madrid make him the Spanish giants’ second-highest all-time scorer behind former team-mate Ronaldo, who hit 451.

The 2022 World Cup runner-up with France has said in interviews that he sees himself as an ambassador for football in Saudi Arabia who can help entice more elite European footballers to the league.

After leaving Madrid a year before the end of his contract, Benzema joined Al-Ittihad on a three-year contract in 2023.

Karim Benzema in Saudi Arabia

Benzema’s first season in Saudi Arabia produced a return of 13 goals and eight assists in 29 matches that was low by his prolific standards as Al-Ittihad endured a turbulent 2023/24, finishing without a trophy and sacking current Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo in November.

Former Barcelona sporting director Ramon Planes joined the nine-time champions in the same role he held at the Spanish giants in January 2024, and ex-Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc led them to glory in 2024/25, having taken over in July.

Benzema scored 25 times in 33 appearances in all competitions last season, including 21 in the league. Ronaldo’s 25 goals earned him the Saudi Pro League golden boot.

Karim Benzema salary, wages, contract

Benzema’s Al-Ittihad deal entitled the club to pay him a salary of up to $100 million (around £83m), according to The Athletic.

He was reported to have been considering retirement last season and has said in interviews that he sees himself as an ambassador for football in Saudi Arabia who can help entice more elite European footballers to the league.

Benzema turned down offers to return to Europe because his image rights deal commits him to Saudi Arabia until 2030, according to ESPN.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Al Nassr fixtures

Al-Nassr are next in action at home to Al-Ittihad on Friday (17:30 GMT). Two-time African Footballer of the Year Sadio Mane scored the only goal of the game – set up by Portugal forward Joao Felix – in their 1-0 win at Al-Riyadh on Monday.

Al-Hilal remain unbeaten in the league but were held to a third straight draw with a goalless stalemate at Al-Ahli on the same day.

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