Benzema receives a painful blow off the pitch

Nike have cancelled a photoshoot scheduled in London today, Thursday, for an advertising campaign featuring former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema.

According to "The Athletic", citing informed sources, Nike looked deeply into Benzema's history and concluded that the player's past did not align with the values of the brand.

The sources declined to say which specific aspects of Benzema's past contributed to the decision.

Nike told The Athletic in a statement: "This project does not reflect a broader relationship between the player and Nike. We are sorry that the negotiations reached this stage."

Benzema, 38, was previously convicted of complicity in an attempted blackmail as part of a sex tape scandal. The affair cast a shadow over his career with the French national team and barred him from representing his country for five years while the case continued.

Back in 2021, the Versailles court handed Benzema a one-year suspended prison sentence and fined him 75,000 euros, finding him guilty of complicity in an attempt to blackmail his France teammate Mathieu Valbuena in 2015.

He began his career wearing Nike boots during his time with Lyon before moving to Adidas in 2007. Benzema spent the rest of his career with the German brand, which launched a boot named after him when he won the Ballon d'Or in 2022.

A source at Adidas has now confirmed that Benzema's contract with the company has ended and that he is exploring his options.

Without a club since the summer transfer window after terminating his deal with Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia, Benzema has not announced any intention to retire. How long he intends to keep playing remains unclear.