Al-Ittihad star Karim Benzema appears to delete Instagram account after humiliating defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr as Real Madrid legend's 'uncomfortable' start in Saudi Pro League continues

Al-Ittihad were thumped 5-2 by Al-Nassr, with Ronaldo scoring a brace of penalties, Sadio Mane also scoring twice, and Anderson Talisca on the scoresheet as well. Benzema did provide an assist in the game, but he has only scored once in his last four outings, with Al-Ittihad only winning one, and slipping to sixth in the Saudi Pro League as a result. The former Real Madrid ace has now seemingly purged his Instagram account.

Benzema's page on the photo-sharing website had 76 million followers, but it has now either been suspended or deleted - as per talkSPORT. In terms of footballers, only Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe have more followers than the 36-year-old.

Benzema has made a total of 20 appearances for Al-Ittihad and has scored 12 goals. He has yet to win any silverware with the Saudi club, as they were eliminated from the Club World Cup at the second round stage by Al-Ahly, although they remain in both the AFC Champions League and the King's Cup.

The Saudi media has also criticised Benzema on a regular basis. One of the country’s most popular sports journalists, Walid Al-Faraj, recently singled out the 36-year-old on his platform Acton Avec Walid, stating: "The gap between Benzema and the public is growing day by day. He never managed to make a difference. And above all, he doesn't make any effort. It’s as if he's saying to the audience: ‘I'm just having fun with you.’

“When Ronaldo arrived in January, he showed signs he wanted to play, but Benzema has offered nothing. It's like the team doesn't like him. He is uncomfortable. I don't know the reason.”

Benzema's move to Al-Ittihad has seen a flurry of goals but the team have yet to truly catch fire with the Real Madrid legend leading the line and are now 22 points behind leaders Al-Hilal. They are next in action against Al-Tai on Saturday.