Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Football, La Liga, Real Madrid, Transfers, Spain
Ryan Sidle
Karim Benzema has announced his decision to stay at Real Madrid in the wake of increased speculation that he would be leaving.
It's not very often that a player calls a press conference to announce that he isn't going anywhere, but that's exactly what happened on Thursday.
Claims earlier in the week had said that an offer to equal former Real teammate Cristiano Ronaldo on wages in the Middle East had caused people to think he was leaving the Bernabeu.
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That was especially true when people first got wind of the fact there would be a press conference later on in the day. But Benzema instead pulled a Jordan Belfort and told everyone "I'm not f****ing leaving!"
Speaking to the press he said: "Speak about what? Why speaking of the future if I'm in Madrid... Who's speaking is internet, and reality is not internet.
"At the moment, I'm here… we have a game on Sunday.
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"I know how much Real Madrid fans love me. I feel that when I'm on the pitch.
"I give my best for them, always. I always say that we play with 11 on the pitch but also with crucial factor, Real Madrid fans."
Despite that some people still believe that he has already told the board at the Bernabeu that he will be leaving Spain's capital after the weekend.
That will all depend on whether or not the board can actually persuade him to stay for the final year of his contract.
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Benzema arrived in the Spanish capital in 2009, an extremely expensive summer for the Spanish giants as they twice broke the world record for a transfer fee.
As well as signing the striker from Lyon they signed Kaka from AC Milan and Ronaldo from Manchester United on record breaking sums, whilst Xabi Alonso also arrived.
He was often used as the foil to Ronaldo throughout the pair's time together at the Bernabeu but he has become the main man before the Portugal star left for Juventus in 2018.
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The 35-year-old has won four La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues, scoring 353 goals in 647 appearances to become the club's second top scorer of all time.