Rihanna’s Relationship With Chris Brown To Blame For Karim Benzema Breakup? [Rumors]

Rihanna and Chris Brown have been dodging dating rumors ever since the duo was spotted leaving the same NYC nightclub in January, but it looks like the romance reports are only continuing to escalate as sources close to Real Madrid star, Karim Benzema, allege that Rihanna’s past with ex Chris Brown prevented her from moving forward with her reported romance with the football star.

Rihanna and Karim Benzema first ignited dating rumors in the summer of 2015 after they were spotted attending several NYC nightclubs together, although neither Rihanna nor Karim spoke on the nature of their relationship at the time.

According to sources close to Rihanna at the time of the dating rumors, the “Love on the Brain” singer and French footballer were said to be “going strong” despite neglecting to make their couple status official in the press.

An insider close to Rihanna revealed to E! Online that Rihanna and Benzema were having a “great time together,” albeit noting that the duo was “taking things slow” for the sake of their relationship. The source further noted that Rihanna appreciated how considerate Benzema was of her schedule and explained that Karim gives Rihanna the space she needs in order to pursue her career endeavors.

Rihanna goes on date with football player Karim Benzema (photos) https://t.co/kaSNNYOXuW pic.twitter.com/A8bFQQev7A

— FeeliB (@feelib) February 23, 2017

However, just weeks later, Rihanna made headlines after she was seen getting cozy with Formula One racer, Lewis Hamilton, thereby effectively halting romance rumors with Benzema after the footballer was rumored to have sparked a romance with Axel Witsel’s ex-wife, Analicia Chaves.

In August, sources close to Rihanna dished to E! News that while Rihanna was spotted with Hamilton on multiple occasions throughout the summer of 2015, the songstress was still said to be “hanging out with Karim [Benzema] at the moment,” thereby reigniting dating rumors for the duo.

Are Rihanna & Lewis Hamilton Dating? https://t.co/HooZteZzkR pic.twitter.com/ATdEOu08BD

— GN MAGAZINE (@mostfamousstuff) January 8, 2016

While sources later noted that Rihanna was “keeping her options open” when it comes to dating, it appears that Rihanna’s relationship with Benzema “faded out” after she distanced herself from both Karim and Lewis Hamilton around the time of her eighth studio album release, Anti, in early 2016.

Now, it appears that sources close to Karim Benzema are weighing in with their thoughts on what led the duo to call an end to their budding romance, with one source blaming Rihanna’s past romance with Chris Brown as the reason for the singer’s inability to get close to the Real Madrid star.

According to a new report from The Sun, Rihanna’s feelings for ex-boyfriend Chris Brown prevented her from being able to get romantically involved with Benzema, despite the fact that she had “a lot of fun” with the footballer.

“Rihanna loved Karim, and with him she had a lot of fun,” the source explained to the site.

“But she told [Karim] she did not want to break his heart, and she confessed that she’ll always love Chris Brown,” the source continued, before noting that Rihanna said it was “difficult to compete” with the feelings that she held for her ex.

While neither Rihanna nor Benzema has commented on the reason behind their decision to not make their relationship official, Rihanna did dish on her feelings about Chris Brown during a 2015 interview with Vanity Fair in which she noted that while she and Breezy weren’t friends, they aren’t exactly enemies either.

“I was very protective of [Chris]. I felt that people didn’t understand him. Even after…But you know, you realize after a while that in that situation you’re the enemy. You want the best for them, but if you remind them of their failures, or if you remind them of bad moments in their life, or even if you say I’m willing to put up with something, they think less of you,” Rihanna confessed. “Because they know you don’t deserve what they’re going to give.”

Rihanna added. “And if you put up with it, maybe you are agreeing that you [deserve] this, and that’s when I finally had to say, ‘Uh-oh, I was stupid for thinking I was built for this.’ Sometimes you just have to walk away.”

“I don’t hate him,” Rihanna concluded.

“I will care about him until the day I die. We’re not friends, but it’s not like we’re enemies. We don’t have much of a relationship now.”

What do you think of the rumors suggesting that Chris Brown is the reason for Rihanna and Karim Benzema’s split?

[Featured Image by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images; Joe Scarnici/Getty Images; Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]