Al-Ittihad legend Mohamed Noor has launched a scathing attack on former club star Karim Benzema following the Frenchman’s move to Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Hilal.
Benzema, a former Ballon d’Or winner, joined Al-Hilal on an 18-month free-agent deal last month after cutting ties with Al-Ittihad. His move comes as Al-Hilal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr battle for the SPL title this season.
Speaking on the Our League Is Different show, Noor accused Benzema of failing to justify the support he received at Al-Ittihad and expressed anger over the circumstances surrounding his departure, particularly the club’s inability to earn a transfer fee.
“When Benzema joined Al-Ittihad, he didn’t contribute much in his first season, but things improved in the following campaign,” Noor said. “The fans played a huge role—chanting his name, supporting him, and standing by him even when he wasn’t scoring many penalties. That support helped the team go on to win both the league and cup titles.”
Noor questioned the fairness of Benzema’s exit, insisting the striker owed the club more loyalty. “Is it fair for him to come this season and then decide he doesn’t want to play? With all due respect, he’s not even close to being as good as Cristiano Ronaldo and doesn’t deserve to be mentioned alongside him,” he said.
The former midfielder also criticised the financial aspect of the move. “If Benzema didn’t want to complete his contract, Al-Ittihad should at least have received compensation. He still had a contract and didn’t have the right to decide to join Al-Hilal without finishing it first.”
Noor added that he had hoped Benzema would leave the Saudi Pro League entirely rather than move directly to a domestic rival.
Benzema had attempted to leave Al-Ittihad during the January transfer window and missed the club’s final two matches before his deadline-day exit, after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract. Al-Ittihad reportedly offered the 38-year-old a revised deal that would have seen him play without pay for the remaining six months of his contract, a proposal that angered the player and his representatives and ultimately led to his departure to Al-Hilal.
