You don't mess with Karim Benzema

What was the idea behind the proposal? No one knows, but one thing is certain - Karim Benzema viewed it as an insult and took it personally.

The legendary striker refused to play for his side, Al-Ittihad, on Thursday night in the Saudi Pro League clash against Al Fateh as he felt that the contract renewal offer he received that day was "ridiculous".

According to L'Equipe, it reportedly included zero euros in fixed salary and relied solely on him earning 100% of his image rights. This means that he would be playing for free compared to his current $108m-a-year deal!

The ex-Real Madrid forward joined Al-Ittihad in 2023, and is in the final six months of his contract with the Jeddah outfit. However, it seems like the 38-year-old is unwilling to play before the club shows much more respect to his name.

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Interestingly, the proposal was presented to Benzema's camp through Michael Emenalo, the football director of the Saudi Pro League. Al-Ittihad officials reportedly have limited influence in this matter, as the Saudi Pro League is actually responsible for handling contract renewals for major foreign stars across the league, such as Benzema.

Alas, Benzema's entourage feels the offer was so low that it was as if the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner would be "playing for free".

Al-Ittihad await Al-Najma on Sunday before facing Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr on February 6. Will Benzema be back in the squad for those games? No one knows.