Karim Benzema: Ballon d’Or Winner Reinstates Instagram Account, Deletes Al Ittihad Photos

• Karim Benzema's Instagram account is back online with a couple of changes
• Benzema is believed to have deactivated it after Al-Ittihad's loss to Al-Nassr last year
• The former Real Madrid striker has had run-ins with his boss in Saudi Arabia

Karim Benzema has restored his Instagram account, weeks after deleting it in the wake of Al-Ittihad's defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr.

Al-Ittihad suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat on December 26 last year to lose further traction in the race for the Saudi pro league title.

Benzema lasted the entire 90 minutes but was unable to impact the game, with Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Abderrazak Hamdallah(Al-Ittihad) bagging braces.

The French striker has had documented issues with his side, with numerous reports linking him with a January exit after falling out with head coach Marcelo Gallardo.

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A host of top European clubs led by Chelsea and Manchester United were said to be interested in procuring the 2021 Ballon d'Or winner on a short-term loan until the end of the season, but none materialised.

Karim Benzema's new Instagram account

His Instagram account, which has more than 75 million followers, is now back with a couple of changes. Marca reports that before the self-imposed hiatus, the striker was following his former Real Madrid teammates, but at the moment, he is only following Al-Ittihad and a couple of his sponsors.

The 36-year-old has also pulled down all football-related content from his page, with only his Ballon d'Or triumph surviving.

Benzema storms out of training

This comes at a time when Sports Brief had reported that Benzema stormed out of a training session after an altercation with Al-Ittihad boss.

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The striker was reportedly asked to train alone by Gallardo, but the instructions were not received well by Benzema, who opted to leave the pitch altogether.

Benzema has already gone AWOL from the club without an explanation. Al-Ittihad recently went to Mauritius with Benzema conspicuously missing. The club cited that they could not reach their marquee summer signing.