The current winner of the Ballon d’Or began his journey with his new club as pre-season training started on Monday with Benzema in attendance. Kante, the former Real Madrid midfielder from France, and Jota, the Portuguese striker, joined the team as reinforcements.
The squad also had three Brazilians present, including goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe who used to play for Gremio, midfielder Igor Coronado, and striker Romarinho who used to play for Corinthians. However, former Palmeiras midfielder Bruno Henrique left the team last season.
The team underwent medical examinations in Jeddah and started training for the upcoming season. Al-Ittihad, the current champions of Saudi Arabia, will participate in the Club World Cup at the end of the year as representatives of the host country.
Benzema and Kante have joined Al-Ittihad after their contracts with Real Madrid and Chelsea ended. Reports suggest that both players will receive approximately 100 million euros per year. Additionally, Jota has been signed from Celtic for 25 million euros. Al-Ittihad’s first challenge in the 2023/24 season will be the Arab Club Champions Cup in Taif, Saudi Arabia, where they will compete against Esperance, Sfaxien from Tunisia, and Al-Shorta from Iraq.
