Will Karim Benzema’s return be a problem to Cristiano Ronaldo?

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Cristiano Ronaldo is among this season’s scorers in the Saudi Pro League, boasting 13 goals. However, Karim Benzema’s sudden improvement following Coach Nuno Espirito Santo’s sack could present a serious challenge to the Portuguese goal master.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr was in the middle of last season. The move became the subject of many topics, predictions, and analyses both in the Western world and the Middle East.

But he would later be joined by the player who had just won the Ballon d’Or, whose days at Real Madrid were nothing but glorious. Moreover, the player was looking for new challenges and more money before probably hanging up the boot.

This player was another dangerous goal scorer called Karim Benzema. However, the player’s performance at his new club suddenly came under serious spotlight after it started to seem that he was doing less than his known average ability.

Two reasons were initially given for this drop in delivery: his perceived rivalry with Abderrazak Hamdallah and the sour relationship between Benzema and Al Ittihad’s now-former coach, Nuno Espirito Santo.

Fans are still in awe at the stunning transformation that took place in Benzema’s play following the removal of the two. Hamdallah is currently sidelined by an injury, and coach Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked due to the buildup of bad results. The team’s recent loss to Iraqi team Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

In their match with Abha days later, Karim Benzema suddenly netted a hat trick for Al Ittihad and even assisted the fourth goal in their 4-2 victory.

Each prolific scorer in the Saudi Pro League knows what is given to the highest goal scorer at the end of each season. Hamdallah won the Golden Boot last season but is presently way behind the present number one, who is Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Karim Benzema’s assumed return could toughen the terrain for Ronaldo as he vies to defend his image in the Saudi Pro League.

Though Hamdallah is benched by an injury, it is believed that if the officials at Al Ittihad think that Benzema is the better player and that Hamdallah’s presence is a hindrance to getting the best out of him, they could have no other choice than to sell Hamdallah, though he is a great player.

Finally, selling Abderrazak Hamdallah could put Al Ittihad in a situation where all their eggs would be in one basket, meaning all their hope could rest on Karim Benzema, who could be struck down by an injury at any time.