Hilal video hints at Karim Benzema and Salem Al-Dawsari staying despite exit rumours

Saudi Pro League champions Al Hilal have fuelled speculation that Karim Benzema and club icon Salem Al-Dawsari will remain at the club next season, after prominently featuring both stars in the launch of their new away kit.

The Riyadh giants posted a slick video on Thursday on their official X account unveiling a white alternate shirt that will be used in the 2026-27 campaign. The clip is led by Benzema and Al-Dawsari, whose futures have been widely questioned in recent weeks.

Their inclusion is being widely interpreted by fans and local media as an implicit rebuttal of reports that the club is actively seeking to offload the pair during the current summer transfer window.

Exit reports over expiring contracts

Local press reports had suggested Al Hilal were open to parting ways with both Benzema and Al-Dawsari before the start of the new season.

The claims centred on the fact that the coming campaign is expected to be the final year of each player’s contract with the club, amid reported interest from other teams at home and abroad.

The speculation had painted the duo as expendable as Hilal look to refresh their squad after a demanding season and prepare early for life beyond two of their highest-profile names.

The club has not issued any formal statement on the players’ futures, but the timing and content of the new kit campaign have been viewed as a calculated message.

Star-studded cast in new kit reveal

The video does not only showcase Benzema and Al-Dawsari. A host of current first‐team regulars appear in the clip, further underlining that the campaign is built around the existing core of the squad.

Among those featured are Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves and Serbia’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, both pivotal in Hilal’s recent domestic dominance.

Also appearing is France full-back Theo Hernandez, along with defenders Yusuf Akcicek of Turkey and Senegal centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.

For many supporters, players who front such high-profile kit launches so close to a new season are generally expected to stay, at least for the short term. However, observers note that there have been exceptions in world football where stars featured in campaigns but later moved on in the same window.

Al-Dawsari: club legend facing form questions

Salem Al-Dawsari is widely regarded as one of Al Hilal’s greatest modern players. Promoted to the first team in 2011, he has spent around 15 years at the club, becoming a symbol of their sustained success in Saudi and Asian competitions.

Over that period he has produced some of his best football, earning a reputation as a big-game performer for both club and country.

But his level dipped markedly last season under Italian coach Simone Inzaghi, with local pundits questioning whether he could maintain his previous standards and whether Hilal should begin planning for his succession.

That downturn in form has helped fuel rumours that the club hierarchy might be willing to consider offers, particularly with his contract heading towards its final stretch.

Benzema’s interrupted start in Riyadh

Karim Benzema arrived at Al Hilal in the winter transfer window, joining mid-season after terminating his contract with Jeddah club Al Ittihad.

The former Real Madrid striker, signed amid huge fanfare as one of the Saudi Pro League’s marquee names, has endured a frustrating start to life in Riyadh.

A series of injuries limited him to just 13 appearances for Hilal in all competitions. Despite the stop-start nature of his spell, Benzema still managed to score nine goals and provide five assists, underlining his continued effectiveness when fit.

Those numbers, combined with his global profile, made the recent reports of an early exit all the more striking.

Future still unresolved

While the new kit video has calmed some supporters, it stops short of a definitive commitment from either player or the club.

Al Hilal are yet to clarify publicly whether they intend to extend the contracts of Al-Dawsari and Benzema, or listen to offers this summer.

Until that happens, questions will persist over whether the striking images in a marketing campaign truly signal a long-term plan – or simply reflect the squad as it currently stands.