Karim Benzema

General

Image gallery

Karim Benzema
Personal information
Full name:	Karim Mostafa Benzema
Date of birth:	December 19, 1987 (1987-12-19)
Place of birth:	Lyon, France
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position:	Striker
Club information
Current club	Al-Ittihad
Number:	9
Youth clubs
1995–1997 1996–2005	Bron Lyon
Senior clubs
Years	Club	App (Gls)
2004–2006 2004–2009 2009–2023 2023–	Lyon B Lyon Real Madrid Al-Ittihad	020 0(15) 112 0(43) 439 (238) 000 00(0)
National team
2004 2004–2005 2005–2006 2006 2007–2022	France U17 France U18 France U19 France U21 France	004 00(1) 017 0(14) 009 00(5) 005 00(0) 097 0(37)

Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi Professional League club Al-Ittihad. A creative and prolific forward known for his playmaking and finishing, he is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation.

Born in Lyon to Algerian parents, Benzema began his senior career with hometown club Olympique Lyonnais in 2005, contributing sporadically to three Ligue 1 title wins. In 2008, he was named National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Player of the Year and in the Team of the Year as he finished as the league's top goalscorer and won his fourth title and first Coupe de France. In 2009, Benzema was the subject of a then French record association football transfer when signed for Real Madrid in a transfer worth €35 million.

After struggling to establish himself in his debut season, Benzema eventually reached prominence at Real Madrid and has won twenty trophies, including three La Liga titles, two Copas del Rey, and four UEFA Champions League titles, and ranks as the club's third-highest all-time top goalscorer and all-time top assist provider. He was named to the La Liga Team of the Season in 2018–19, 2019–20 and 2020–21, being awarded the league's Best Player in 2019-20. While at Real Madrid, Benzema has also been named French Player of the Year four times.

Following Ronaldo's departure in 2018, Benzema transitioned from the false 9 position into a sole striker. He was named in the La Liga Team of the Season for four consecutive years from 2018 to 2022, won La Liga Best Player twice and the Pichichi Trophy for the first time in 2022. Benzema finished as Champions League top scorer as he won his fifth title in 2022.

A French international, Benzema won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and made his senior debut for France in 2007, at age 19. He has since earned over 90 caps, including scoring in three and appearing in four major tournaments: the 2008, 2012 and 2020 editions of the UEFA European Championship, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He scored his first goal in a friendly against Austria, and ranks as his nation's fifth-highest all-time top goalscorer. Benzema was controversially left out of the squad for the 2010 World Cup, and did not play for France for over five years after being implicated in a publicised scandal involving blackmail in 2015; he later returned to the squad before announcing his international retirement in December 2022. He has been named French Player of the Year by France Football four times. For his performances in 2021 and 2022, Benzema was awarded the UEFA Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or, becoming the fifth French player to have won the Ballon d'Or.

Honours

Club

Lyon

• Ligue 1: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
• Coupe de France: 2007–08
• Trophée des Champions: 2006, 2007

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 2011–12, 2016–17, 2019–20
• Copa del Rey: 2010–11, 2013–14
• Supercopa de España: 2012, 2017, 2019–20, 2021–22
• UEFA Champions League: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
• UEFA Super Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022

International

France U17

• UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2004

France

• UEFA Nations League: 2020–21
• FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2022

Individual

• Ballon d'Or: 2022
• Bravo Award: 2008
• Ligue 1 top scorer: 2007–08
• French Cup top scorer: 2007-08
• UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: January 2008, April 2008
• UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year: 2007–08
• UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2007–08
• Golden Lion for the best Lyon sportsman: 2007, 2008
• French Rookie of the Year: 2006
• Peace Cup Best player: 2007
• Peace Cup Bronze Boot: 2007
• Étoile d'Or: 2007–08
• French Player of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2014, 2021
• UEFA Men's Player of the Year: 2021–22
• UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2020–21
• UEFA Champions League Team of The Season: 2021–22
• UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2011–12
• Onze d'Or: 2020–21
• The Best FIFA Men's Player: 2021 (4th)
• AS Award Best Player of the Year: 2021
• Kicker Player of the Season: 2022
• La Liga Best Player: 2019–20
• Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano: 2019–20
• UNFP Best French Player playing Abroad: 2019, 2021
• 2021–22 Supercopa de España top goalscorer
• MARCA La Liga Best Player (Voted by Fans): 2019–20, 2020–21.
• Real Madrid Player of the Season: 2015–16, 2018–19, 2019–20
• La Liga Team of the Season: 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21.
• UEFA La Liga Team of the Season: 2019–20
• La Liga Player of the Month: October 2014, June 2020, March 2021, September 2021
• Madrid Sports Press Association Award (APDM)
• L'Équipe's Team of the year: 2020, 2021
• ESM Team of the Year: 2020–21
• FIFA FIFPro World XI nominations: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
• UNFP Best French Player playing Abroad nominations: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
• Member of Guinness World Records 2021: Player with the most consecutive seasons in the UEFA Champions League, qualified in the competition without interruption since 2005.
• 2005 UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup top scorer
• 2014 FIFA World Cup Man of the Match: Honduras and Switzerland
• 2020 UEFA Euro Star of the Match: Portugal
• UEFA European Championship Bronze Boot: 2020
• UEFA Nations League Final Man of the Match: 2021
• UEFA Nations League Finals Bronze Boot: 2021
• UEFA Nations League Finals Goal of the Tournament: 2021
• Globe Soccer Awards Men's Player of the Year: 2022

External links

• Karim Benzema profile at Soccerbase
• Karim Benzema profile at Transfermarkt

France – UEFA Euro 2008

1. Mandanda 2. Boumsong 3. Abidal 4. Vieira 5. Gallas 6. Makélélé 7. Malouda 8. Anelka 9. Benzema 10. Govou 11. Nasri 12. Henry 13. Evra 14. Clerc 15. Thuram 16. Frey 17. Squillaci 18. Gomis 19. Sagnol 20. Toulalan 21. Diarra 22. Ribéry 23. Coupet Manager:   Raymond Domenech

France – UEFA Euro 2012

1. Lloris (c) 2. Debuchy 3. Evra 4. Rami 5. Mexès 6. Cabaye 7. Ribéry 8. Valbuena 9. Giroud 10. Benzema 11. Nasri 12. Matuidi 13. Réveillère 14. Ménez 15. Malouda 16. Mandanda 17. M'Vila 18. Diarra 19. Martin 20. Ben Arfa 21. Koscielny 22. Clichy 23. Carrasso Manager:   Laurent Blanc

France – 2014 FIFA World Cup – Quarter-finals

1. Lloris (c) 2. Debuchy 3. Evra 4. Varane 5. Sakho 6. Cabaye 7. Cabella 8.  Valbuena 9. Giroud 10. Benzema 11. Griezmann 12. Mavuba 13. Mangala 14. Matuidi 15. Sagna 16. Ruffier 17. Digne 18. Sissoko 19. Pogba 20. Rémy 21. Koscielny 22. Schneiderlin 23. Landreau Manager:   Didier Deschamps

France – UEFA Euro 2020 – Round of 16

1. Lloris (c) 2. Pavard 3. Kimpembe 4. Varane 5. Lenglet 6. Pogba 7. Griezmann 8. Lemar 9. Giroud 10. Mbappé 11. Dembélé 12. Tolisso 13. Kanté 14. Rabiot 15. Zouma 16. Mandanda 17. Sissoko 18. Digne 19. Benzema 20. Coman 21. Hernández 22. Ben Yedder 23. Maignan 24. Dubois 25. Koundé 26. Thuram Manager:   Didier Deschamps