Karim Benzema made an instant impact following his contentious move to Al Hilal, scoring a hat trick on his debut for the Saudi Pro League club.
The former Real Madrid forward officially signed for the Saudi Pro League leaders on Monday in a switch from rivals Al Ittihad.
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After the deal was held up by the Saudi Ministry of Sports and the Public Investment Fund (PIF), issues were resolved on deadline day with the 38-year-old getting his wish to change Saudi clubs.
His first goal for his new club came just 31 minutes into his debut at Al Okhdood on Thursday. The former France international found the net with a neat back-heeled finish.
Two more goals followed in quick succession in the second half. In the 60th minute, Benzema side-footed home after a square pass from new teammate Malcom and just four minutes later he completed his hat trick with a close-range finish.
Al Hilal went on to win 6-0 and now lead the Saudi Pro League by three points from Al Ahli, with an Al Nassr team led by Cristiano Ronaldo a further point back, though with a game in hand.
ESPN reported that Benzema had felt disrespected with the contract extension Al Ittihad had offered him. But his move to Al Hilal, which PIF orchestrated, has reportedly angered Benzema’s former Madrid teammate Ronaldo.
The Portugal star subsequently refused to play for Al Nassr on Monday in protest. Sources told ESPN that Ronaldo tried to block the transfer of Benzema because he felt the move was unfair and indicated that PIF wanted to pave the way for Al Hilal to win the title.
