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Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema seems to have vanished from Instagram following his club's recent 5-2 defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
He seemingly had no official presence on the social media platform following a challenging game where Al-Nassr emerged dominant. The win was inspired by Ronaldo's twin penalties and futher goals from Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca.
Although Benzema provided an assist, his recent performance has been under scrutiny. Scoring only once in four appearances, it has also coincinded with his team's dip in form, winning just one game and dropping to sixth in the Saudi Pro League.
Previously, Benzema's Instagram account was a digital hub for his 76 million followers. Reports from talkSPORT (via GOAL) indicate that his account is no longer accessible, leading to speculation that it might be deleted or suspended.
Benzema's transition to Al-Ittihad was marked by high expectations, given his impressive tenure with Real Madrid. Although he has scored multiple times since joining, the Saudi giants have struggled for consistency.
They trail the league leaders Al-Hilal by a whopping 25 points and sit in seventh place.
Cristiano Ronaldo reacts to IFFHS snub
Cristiano Ronaldo has reacted to being omitted from the International Federation of Football History and Statistics list of the world's top 10 football players. The legendary forward commented with a series of laughing emojis on a post by the Portuguese media outlet A Bola, which shared the IFFHS rankings (via Marca).
The absence of Ronaldo's name from the prestigious list has fueled debates over the criteria used for such rankings. A prevailing theory suggests that his exclusion could be linked to playing in a less prominent league, as Ronaldo plays in the Saudi Pro League.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo's staggering statistics for 2023 cannot be overlooked. He ended the year as the top scorer, netting 54 goals and providing 15 assists for Al-Nassr and Portugal. These impressive figures will raise further questions about his exclusion from the IFFHS list.
Notably, Lionel Messi, who plays in the MLS with Inter Miami, was included in the list. However, the Argentine legend won an unprecedented eighth Ballon d'Or award this year.
