Karim Benzema flirts with Real Madrid return - optimism grows for a sensational reunion

Karim Benzema has opened the door to a Real Madrid comeback, saying a return is possible if Florentino Perez remains in charge. The timing is intriguing. Madrid now features Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, yet a specialist 9 for specific game states still has value. Benzema is currently contracted to Al-Ittihad until 2026, but a short-term solution - even a one-season deal late in his career - would be seamless stylistically. Madrid’s dressing room knows him, Ancelotti’s structure suits him, and the Bernabeu would welcome an icon who left at the top. The idea is more than nostalgia. It is football logic.

The quotes circulated in Spanish media, including AS, reflecting Benzema’s openness to a potential Real Madrid return. He is under contract with Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League until 2026 after joining in 2023. Carlo Ancelotti is tied to Real Madrid through 2026, while the club’s forward line features Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham and highly rated prospect Endrick. Any move would need Al-Ittihad’s approval and to comply with La Liga registration and salary regulations.

🚨🗣️ Karim Benzema: “Real Madrid return? If Florentino is still there, it could HAPPEN. I talk to him and it’s POSSIBLE. I’m a Madridista. I feel it in my soul. Madrid is still my city. We’ll see what happens.” @diarioas 👀

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

A Benzema comeback would be one of the most seamless high-profile returns in recent memory. Tactically, he still profiles as an elite facilitator between the lines, with first-touch layoffs, blind-side movement, and timing in the box that lift the output of wide forwards. In Ancelotti’s 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-3 morph, Benzema could serve as a situational 9 who drifts to the left half-space, allowing Vinicius and Mbappe to attack the box while Bellingham arrives late. His chemistry with Madrid’s core patterns - third-man combinations, wall passes at the edge of the area, and overload-to-isolate sequences - is muscle memory at the Bernabeu.

Physically, he no longer needs to grind 50 starts. A 1,500-2,000 minute role across the league and Champions League would target peak-impact matches and protect his load. Set-piece threat remains, and his penalty record is strong. Beyond tactics, the intangible impact is massive: leadership in big weeks, composure in knockout ties, and mentorship for Endrick, who could learn the nuances of back-to-goal play and box timing directly from a master.

Financially, Madrid are disciplined and would only move if the salary structure fits. From a squad-building angle, a short deal aligns with the club’s horizon while preserving development pathways for Endrick and Arda Guler. Commercially, the homecoming of a Ballon d’Or winner who delivered the 2022 Champions League would energize matchdays and global engagement. If Al-Ittihad are open to a short arrangement and the player pushes, the football case is compelling.

Reaction

Fan sentiment split into familiar camps. One group felt the heartstrings pull - the door never really closed, and the badge still fits. Comments framed it as a romantic but logical reunion, the kind that turns tense spring nights into something inevitable at the Bernabeu. That camp loved the idea of Jude feeding Benzema, with Mbappe and Vinicius running off his shoulder. They argued Madrid still lack a pure 9 in certain phases and that Benzema can solve late-game control.

The skeptics leaned on precedent. They pointed to Florentino Perez not bringing back Cristiano Ronaldo or Sergio Ramos and concluded there is zero chance. Some banter flew in from rival fans, noting Robert Lewandowski’s arrival overlapped with Benzema’s exit to Saudi, tossing in the familiar jabs about aging stars and easy goals abroad. Others simply asked the obvious: is he actually planning a return, or is this nostalgia playing tricks?

A third lane cut through the noise. It said if the numbers work, Ancelotti would snap up a plug-and-play finisher for specific match scripts. The practical voices see a short deal, a locker-room leader, and a better version of the Joselu-stopgap template. Strip the emotion away, and the football logic shines.

Social reactions

Hey MadridXtra, that’s fantastic news for all Madridistas!

offend no one (@offendnoone)

Obviously not happening, Perez didn’t let Ronaldo or Ramos return. 0 chance this happens

10 (@Kylian)

GET MPAYPAL OUT OF MY CLUB NOW AND BRING MY NUEVE IN

Ahmad / احمد (@tiredandbored18)

Prediction

There are three realistic scenarios. First - and most likely if momentum builds - a short-term arrangement aligned with a transfer window, either a loan with salary-sharing or a one-year contract starting in the summer. Madrid get a specialist for big Champions League nights, and Benzema gets the farewell arc he never had in front of a full Bernabeu. This path fits Ancelotti’s flexible shapes and does not block Endrick’s development.

Second, a handshake understanding for later in the season that pivots to a ceremonial-plus-competitive role if Madrid’s striker usage becomes heavy due to injuries or fixture congestion. Benzema would be protected, and the club would retain tactical variety without long-term financial strain.

Third, no move - Al-Ittihad hold firm, and Madrid decide the current attack is sufficient. Even then, a future ambassadorial or coaching-mentorship tie-in remains plausible given the mutual respect between Benzema and the club hierarchy.

Given the public tone of Benzema’s comments and Perez’s appetite for decisive moves when the football case is clear, scenario one edges ahead. Precedent says returns are rare, but the squad map and tactical fit make this case different.

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Conclusion

Benzema is a legend who still commands respect for what he did at Madrid: 354 goals, countless combinations that elevated teammates, and a 2021-22 season that was as complete as any modern 9 has produced. His touch, craft, and intelligence age well because they rely on timing and reading pressure, not just raw pace. In a team now built around Mbappe’s gravity, Vinicius’s chaos, Rodrygo’s balance, and Bellingham’s late-arrival finishing, the most natural connector is the man who wrote that script for a decade.

This is not a nostalgia-only play. It is a calculated add that solves specific game states, stabilizes tough away nights, and mentors the next wave. If the salary and registration boxes tick and Al-Ittihad find common ground, Madrid can land a low-risk, high-acceptance signing that the stadium will instantly embrace. Legends deserve a proper chapter close. Benzema’s might still be written on the same pitch where he grew from talent to titan.