Ancelotti said Benzema's choice came by surprise, after the Italian himself said Saturday he expected the forward to stay. "I have coached one of the best in the world, not a forward, a complete footballer," said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti

Benzema is set to join Al Ittihad as a free agent after Real Madrid said earlier in the day that the 35-year-old would leave the LaLiga club after 14 trophy-laden years

"Karim Benzema's career at Real Madrid has been an example of behavior and professionalism, and has represented the values ​​of our club. Karim Benzema has earned the right to decide his future," the club said.

"Benzema is ready to play tomorrow (against Athletic Bilbao in the final league game of the season), he has recovered very well, he has a year on his contract, so we have no doubts here," Ancelotti told a news conference

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema insisted on Thursday that "reality is not the internet" in response to rumours of a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia.

Karim Benzema scored a first-half hat-trick as Real Madrid recovered from a disappointing midweek loss at Girona by beating lowly Almeria 4-2 at home in LaLiga on Saturday.

"The goalkeeper is out at the last minute due to gastroenteritis and is not travelling with the team," said Madrid in a statement Tuesday morning

Carlo Ancelotti believes Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will stay at Real Madrid next season, the Los Blancos coach told a news conference Friday.

Karim Benzema scored three goals in seven first-half minutes as Real Madrid thrashed Real Valladolid 6-0 on Sunday to cut Barcelona's lead in LaLiga to 12 points.

"It's a very important night for us, I want to dedicate this win to our honorary president, Amancio," Madrid captain Benzema told Movistar

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema when asked about his relationship with former Real teammate Cristiano Ronaldo said that their friendship goes beyond posting pictures on social media outlets.

Karim Benzema buried his World Cup nightmare with two late goals as Real Madrid defeated Valladolid 2-0 on Friday to go top of Spain's La Liga.

Despite rumours swirling around that Karim Benzema might make a late return to join the France squad following his recovery from injury, coach Didier Deschamps, speaking in his last pre-match press conference at this World Cup, made it clear he wasn’t focusing on anyone he has at his disposal at the moment.

France coach Didier Deschamps refused to discuss Karim Benzema after the injured Ballon d'Or winner was spotted arriving on holiday on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion following his withdrawal from the World Cup.

Defending champions France will not replace the injured Karim Benzema in their World Cup squad, coach Didier Deschamps said on Sunday.

Karim Benzema became the latest big-name player to miss out on Qatar World Cup following an injury.

After winning the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in 2010, it quickly became clear that Qatar would have to pull a rabbit out of its hat to successfully stage football’s showpiece event. The largest concern at the time was whether players could even perform in the searing summer as the Mi

Defending champions France are hoping Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane will be fit enough to feature in their opening World Cup match against Australia, with teammate Adrien Rabiot insisting both are "determined to play".

Real Madrid will be without this year's Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema and the 2018 victor Luka Modric for this week's Champions League tie in Leipzig, coach Carlo Ancelotti said at a Monday press conference.

Real Madrid talisman and Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema will miss his team's clash with Sevilla on Saturday in La Liga with a thigh injury.