In June last year, drones formed a tiger shape in the sky over Jeddah to celebrate Al-Ittihad's signing of Karim Benzema, but fans of "the Tigers" now see him as a "gentle cat" rather than a tiger due to his modest performance.
In recent matches, the 35-year-old Benzema, who joined Al-Ittihad from Real Madrid while holding the Ballon d'Or for the best player in the world, has missed several easy opportunities, including a penalty kick during the elimination from the second round of the Club World Cup against Egyptian club Al Ahly.
Last Tuesday, Al-Ittihad suffered a heavy loss against rival Al-Nassr, 2-5, marking their third consecutive defeat in the league, during which Benzema missed three easy scoring chances and caused a penalty against his team.
Saudi sports critic Abdul Karim Al-Jasser commented on the state-run Al-Ikhbariya channel, stating that Benzema is going through a "very strange situation for a tactically high-level player." He added, "Perhaps he has not adapted to Al-Ittihad's conditions and the internal matters of the club, but that does not excuse him because he does not exert any effort in matches, misses very simple chances, and seems to lack the desire to play football."
Benzema has scored nine goals in 15 league matches so far, including two penalties, which places him ten goals behind Al-Nassr's Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo, the league's top scorer, and seven goals behind his closest challenger, Serbian international Aleksandar Mitrović of Al-Hilal. Overall, Benzema has scored 15 goals in 24 matches across all competitions, a tally far from the expectations of Al-Ittihad fans who signed strong players last summer, including Brazilian Fabinho, French N'Golo Kanté, and Portuguese João Pedro Neves Filipe, nicknamed "Jota," along with Italian defender Luiz Felipe.
Al-Ittihad has slipped to sixth place in the league, 22 points behind leaders Al-Hilal, making them the weakest team defensively and offensively among the four major clubs (Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli, and Al-Ittihad) that were significantly bolstered by the Saudi Public Investment Fund this past summer.
Benzema, who signed with Al-Ittihad for three years, reportedly cost €200 million. A source close to Al-Ittihad's management acknowledged to Agence France-Presse that the club's recent signings "have not yet achieved the desired results." The official, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, "Of course, we expected more from Benzema in particular, but we recognize his value as a world-class player." He added, "It is not always easy to move to a new country and league and shine immediately. It is a matter of time."
When he joined last summer, Benzema stated, "I chose Saudi Arabia because I am Muslim, and it is a Muslim country." Benzema, who is the second-best goalscorer in Real Madrid's history with 354 goals, seemed to enjoy life in Saudi Arabia, as evidenced by the photos he shares on Instagram, where he has 76 million followers, showcasing his daily life, including his performance of Umrah.
Due to the flood of criticisms and negative comments directed toward him after his recent disappointments with Al-Ittihad, Benzema had to deactivate his Instagram account. Among the mocking comments directed at him were humorous images portraying him as a "gentle cat" that meows well but fails to score goals, along with remarks on "X" labeling him as a "burden on the team" and "one of the reasons for the defeats."
Benzema's performance, a five-time UEFA Champions League winner, is linked to Al-Ittihad's declining technical level, which parted ways with former Portuguese coach Nuno Espírito Santo before the mid-season and hired Argentine Marcelo Gallardo instead.
This season, Al-Ittihad, known as "the Tigers," has lost six of 18 league matches, conceding 26 goals, compared to just two losses and 13 goals conceded in 30 matches last season when they clinched the Saudi League title. Al-Ittihad has lost to all their major rivals this season.
