Benzema has restored his Instagram account, but not without some cleanup

After a 5-2 defeat to Al-Nassr in December 2023, Al-Ittihad forward Karim Benzema faced a barrage of criticism, prompting the Frenchman to deactivate his Instagram account.

The winner of the 2022 Ballon d'Or didn't stay off social media for long, and an investigation by Marca revealed changes to Benzema's account upon its restoration.

Before its restoration, Benzema's account boasted over 62 million followers, 2,000 posts (from his time at Real Madrid, the French national team, his new club, and a few from sponsors), and 137 followings, including all his former Real Madrid teammates.

However, one of the first decisions he made upon his return was to delete all football-related photos (except for the Ballon d'Or picture), and unfollow everyone except his sponsors.

Currently, Karim only follows 8 accounts: GQ Middle East, Adidas, Bugatti, Technogym, Al-Ittihad, Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Real Madrid.