Karim Benzema said he wants to bring trophies to his new Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, which he called the “Real Madrid in Asia.”

The French forward turned down a contract extension to remain at Al Ittihad beyond June and instead joined Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal on Monday.

Speaking for the first time since his move, the former Madrid captain and 2022 Ballon d’Or winner told the club’s website: “It’s good. I’m happy to be here. After my first training with the team, with the coach, I’m so happy and glad to be a part of this team.

“It’s a good team, with a good history. They have won a lot of trophies.

“It’s similar, like Real Madrid in Asia. Everything is good, the fans are good, they play well, they have good players, they have a good mentality.

“I liked this team from before. I used to play against them with Madrid and it was not an easy game. It was a good game so I have good memories. Today I’m happy because I’m a player of Al Hilal.”

According to sources, Benzema, 38, felt disrespected with the contract extension Al Ittihad had offered him.

The Al Ittihad deal from the Saudi Pro League, which handles the contracts of the main players in PIF(Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund)-owned clubs, would effectively have seen the veteran striker play for free, sources said.

Benzema, who had offers from European clubs, decided to stay in Saudi Arabia, partly because his image rights deal there is until 2030.

His move to Al Hilal, which PIF orchestrated, has reportedly angered Benzema’s former Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who captains rivals Al Nassr.

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According to sources, Ronaldo refused to play for his club on Monday in protest because PIF was not investing enough in Al Nassr and instead was giving an advantage to Al Hilal.

Ronaldo is looking to win his first major title with Al Nassr and his team are second in the Saudi Pro League standings, one point adrift of Al Hilal.

Benzema, who was instrumental in Al Ittihad winning the league crown and the King’s Cup last season, said he is hungry for more silverware.

“[It’s a] clear message,” he said. “You know my mentality. I have a lot of ambition. I will work, I will give everything on the pitch. I will help this team and, inshallah, win trophies. For me it’s more important to bring trophies. As I said before, we have a good team, good fans and together, inshallah, we will do it.”

Benzema arrived in Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023 having won 25 trophies with Madrid, including four LaLiga, three Copa del Rey, and five Champions League titles.

He has eight goals in 14 league games this season.

His first game with Al Hilal will be Thursday’s league encounter at Al Okhdood.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed on Wednesday that Pakistan will not play against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, emphasising that the decision was made after much deliberation.

“Politics should have no place in the field of sports,” the prime minister said while explaining Pakistan’s stance on the 20-team tournament. He made the statement while addressing the federal cabinet meeting.

He further stressed that the country should stand with Bangladesh in the matter.

Pakistan had decided to boycott the February 15 match against arch-rivals India to show solidarity with Bangladesh, which the International Cricket Council (ICC) kicked out of the tournament after rejecting Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to move their matches to a venue outside India.

The cricketing body then replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament, stating that it was not feasible to revise the schedule so close to the February 7 — start of the World Cup.

Meanwhile, multiple other factors influenced Pakistan’s decision to boycott the match, including ICC’s perceived biased stance towards Bangladesh playing a central role, with government sources noting that the Pakistani team was instructed not to take the field against India on February 15 as “a form of protest”.

The sources said that ICC chief Jay Shah’s partial decisions had effectively turned the International Cricket Council into an extension of the Indian cricket board.

They further said that these biased decisions have undermined the principles of fairness and equality, accusing the ICC of applying different standards to different countries on its platform.

Since then, the ICC, in its statement, has expressed hope that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would work towards a “mutually acceptable resolution”.

While recognising the prerogative of national governments, the ICC publicly urged the PCB to reconsider, arguing that the decision harms the sport and its global fanbase.

The council encouraged the Pakistani board to pursue a mutually acceptable solution that protects the interests of all stakeholders in the game, saying that the boycott decision was not “in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan”.

Currently, the national team is present in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to partake in the highly anticipated T20 World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India from February 7 to March 8.

Three-time Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck accumulated a lot of experience in his 18-year NFL career, including one Super Bowl appearance.

Hasselbeck led the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl XL against the Pittsburgh Steelers but lost the game 21-10. During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Hasselbeck was asked what advice he would give to Sam Darnold and Drake Maye, who are both making their first Super Bowl starts.

The 50-year-old’s advice was simple: just have fun.

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“Well, have fun. I think that’s a major thing. You know, my dad (Don Hasselbeck) actually won Super Bowl XVIII with the Raiders against Washington, and I just remember that team had so much fun. Like they were the silver and black, the Raiders, all that, but they had fun,” Hasselbeck told Fox News Digital in a recent interview with the Family Heart Foundation.

“And even like when I got drafted to the Green Bay Packers, they had just come off two consecutive Super Bowls. And Brett Favre and those guys, like they had fun. I would say in Seattle, like without really knowing that we were having fun, like we were cutting it, because it didn’t feel like a job.”

Hasselbeck completed 26 of his 49 passes for 279 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the loss. He urged Darnold and Maye to cut it loose but, no matter what, just to take it one play at a time.

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Drake Maye (10) of the New England Patriots stands for the national anthem prior to the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, on Jan. 25, 2026. (Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)

“For Sam and the Seahawks or Drake Maye and the Patriots, I would say one play at a time, guys. Cut it loose. Sixty minutes — all you got. At the end of the day, you look up at the scoreboard, whatever it says is what it says. Control what you can control. Cut it loose and have fun. But there’s no such play. There’s no such thing as a 14-point touchdown. (It) does no good to look ahead. One play at a time. Cut it loose. Good or bad. One play at a time.”

The quarterbacks are both listed with ailments on the injury report and will be battling through injury in the Super Bowl.

Both quarterbacks are facing stout defenses. The Seahawks allowed the fewest points per game in the regular season (17.1).

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Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks walks onto the field after the Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 31-27, in the NFC Championship NFL football game in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Seahawks advanced to the Super Bowl. Jan. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

The Patriots have shut down the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos in the playoffs, allowing just 8.6 points per game en route to the Super Bowl.  

Hasselbeck played for four different teams in his 18-year career: 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, three with the Indianapolis Colts, two with the Green Bay Packers and two with the Tennessee Titans. In 209 games, he completed 60.5% of his passes for 36,638 yards with 212 touchdowns and 153 interceptions.

The Seahawks play the Patriots in the Super Bowl on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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