Atlas Lions Captain Benatia Defends Qatar Move, Cites Career Choices Over Money

Responding to the criticisms that reach him concerning his career choice (when he was at Juve and could still play in major European clubs), Medhi Benatia, 31, claims that it was not for the money that he made this latest choice of Al Duhail: "Whoever thinks I came for the money, he must look at my career, the choices I’ve made, whether it’s Ligue 2 when I left Marseille to go to Clermont-Ferrand, Lorient or Udinese. After Udinese I had opportunities to go to Gulf countries or Turkey where it paid much more than at Roma for example. All my career I have given priority to football. All my life anyway, I have given priority to football."

The fact of talking about money even makes him laugh: "It makes me laugh. Today in 2019, unfortunately you open the first magazine of a football magazine and you can see the salaries of football players. You can see how much he earned in advertising, in this, in that, how much he spent almost."

And he would even be criticized for his "new" performances, diminished according to some of his detractors. Benatia responds: "There are many who send me messages like ’today you are in Qatar, we no longer need you, no need to come to the national team’. The people who write this to me are the same ones who were applauding me when I played injured against Côte d’Ivoire." The Atlas Lion takes the opportunity to give them a few slaps, which we don’t know what to think of: "they are the same people who told you thank you and who today spit on you because you made a choice that doesn’t please them. But what do you want me to say? No problem, talk to the coach!" Is this a message to those who are turning their coats? Or even to the fans who are always likely to do so at any moment? Funny position towards the fans...

In any case, Benatia is clear on this point. It is up to Hervé Renard to decide on his presence or not in the national team, and therefore to assume the responsibility, according to what can also be understood although it is not said. Only the coach’s opinion matters to him. To the listener!