The winner of the Golden Ball, Karim Benzema, was officially presented in Jeddah in front of 60,000 fans of the Al-Ittihad team in Saudi Arabia, AFP reports.

Dressed in the black and yellow kit of his new team, the former Real Madrid star striker made his appearance to cheers from the crowd before climbing onto the stand set up in the center of the pitch.

Benzema, who signed a three-year deal with the Saudi club for an undisclosed fee, addressed the fans in English to thank them, promising to lead the team “at the highest level” before saying “Assalam o alaikum!” in Arabic. (Hello).

The 35-year-old then showed off the trophy he won last year before taking a tour of the stadium, signing balls with dedications for the crowd.

In the stands, filled mostly with families, congratulatory messages could be heard, often in French, such as “I love you Benzema” or messages with the player’s name emblazoned on Real Madrid and Al Ittihad shirts.

In an atmosphere with music at maximum volume, light games, a pyrotechnic show, a video with the player’s face projected in 3D on the sky, the appearance of a star on the field was preceded.

“Why did I choose Al Ittihad? Because this is a valuable club. This is a club that has just won (the national title) and is constantly developing,” the player said in French at a press conference ahead of the presentation.

Karim Benzema left Real Madrid after 14 seasons in which he won a total of 25 trophies: five Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups, four European Super Cups, four La Liga titles, three Spanish Cups and four Spanish Super Cups.

The 35-year-old French footballer played 648 matches for the Spanish national team and scored 354 goals, becoming the second top scorer in the history of “Real” after the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo (450 goals), who is developing in his turn. in Saudi Arabia, in the competitor Al-Nassr, writes Agerpres.