Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema has shut down his Instagram account.

The Real Madrid legend has made the decision due to online criticism he has copped since defeat to Al-Nassr this week.

While last season Al-Ittihad lost only four games, so far this season there have been six defeats and the focus is on Benzema to the point where he was barracked by his own fans during the Al-Nassr loss.

Such was the abuse, the Frenchman decided to close his Instagram account immediately after the defeat.

Although he has 9 goals and 5 assists in 15 games, it seems that the fans of Al-Ittihad have lost confidence in Benzema and according to L'Equipe he has earned the nickname "Ben-Hazima", which in Arabic translates as "the son of defeat."