Karim Benzema

Lore & Background

Born in Lyon to parents of Algerian and Kabyle descent, Benzema began his career with his hometown club Lyon in 2005, contributing sporadically to three Ligue 1 title wins. In 2008, he was named the league's Player of the Year and in the Team of the Year having finished as the league's top goalscorer and winning his fourth league title and first Coupe de France. In 2009, Benzema was the subject of a then-French record football transfer when he joined Real Madrid in a deal worth €35 million. He was part of a highly rated trio alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale – dubbed 'BBC' – who helped Madrid to four Champions League titles between 2014 and 2018. 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 five consecutive years from 2018 to 2023, 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, and subsequently captained the club in his final season before signing for Al-Ittihad the following year. As captain, he led Al-Ittihad to the 2024–25 Saudi Pro League title. A French international, Benzema won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and made his senior debut for France in 2007, at age 19. After appearing at UEFA Euro 2008, Benzema was controversially left out of the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup; following his return for Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup, he did not play for France for over five years after being implicated in a blackmailing scandal in 2015. He later returned to the squad for Euro 2020, where he won the Bronze Boot. Benzema was also a part of the French squad that finished as runners-up at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, he did not play at the tournament due to an injury, though he did receive a medal. He announced his international retirement in December 2022 following the World Cup. Overall, Benzema earned 97 caps and scored 37 goals, ranking as France's sixth-highest all-time top goalscorer, and was 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. One of the highest-paid footballers in the world, he made Forbes' list of

In Their Own Story

The stadium is half-empty. Benzema lines up at the penalty spot, the fourth of four. He takes a breath, taps the ball back and forth, and the crowd — a sea of blue with pockets of white — goes quiet in that way only a striker's penalty can make them quiet. He strikes it low, left corner. The keeper dives the wrong way. The net ripples. Benzema doesn't celebrate. He jogs back to the centre circle, claps his hands once, and is already scanning for the next pass. Around him, the dressing room will later say, the lads were laughing, but he was already thinking about the next ball. That was Benzema. Always the next ball. Always the next chance. As if the game never ended, as if the tricolour on his chest was a promise he owed to every kid watching on a cracked phone screen in a courtyard in Lyon, waiting for the one moment where their hero made the impossible look like routine.

Reader's Guide

Benzema began his career at his hometown club Bron Terraillon at the age of eight. After scoring two goals in an under-10 match against the Lyon youth academy, he attracted attention from Lyon. He officially joined Lyon's youth academy after a trial. Benzema quickly ascended up the youth categories, serving as a ballboy during Lyon senior team matches. At the under-16 level, he scored 38 goals in the Championnat National des 16 ans. Ahead of the 2004–05 season, he was promoted to the club's reserve team, scoring a team-high ten goals as the reserve team finished second in its group. He made his professional debut on 15 January 2005 against Metz, appearing as a substitute and providing an assist. He signed his first professional contract the same month, agreeing to a three-year deal. He finished the 2004–05 campaign with six appearances as Lyon won their fourth-straight league title. Under new manager Gérard Houllier in 2005–06, he struggled for meaningful minutes. He made his UEFA Champions League debut on 6 December 2005 against Rosenborg, scoring his first professional goal. He scored his first professional double in a 4–0 win over Grenoble in the Coupe de France, and his first professional league goal on 4 March 2006 against Ajaccio. In the 2006–07 season, he earned more playing time, scoring in the Trophée des Champions and in the league opener against Nantes. He suffered a severe thigh injury on 10 November 2006, missing three months of action, and scored only in the final league match of the season as Lyon recorded its sixth consecutive league title. For the 2007–08 season, Benzema switched to the number 10 shirt and was inserted into the lead striker role. He responded with 31 goals in 51 games, topping the league with 20 goals, scoring four in the Champions League, one in the Coupe de la Ligue, and six in six Coupe de France matches, helping Lyon win their first ever double. Notable performances included a hat-trick against Metz, an equalizing free kick against Saint-Étienne, and a goal against Lens nominated for goal of the season. In the Champions League, he scored an important double against Rangers at Ibrox Stadium to assure progression to the knockout rounds, and scored from outside the box against Manchester United in the first leg. On 13 March 2008, he extended his contract with Lyon until 2013 with a one-year extension option, becoming one of

Did You Know?

• Benzema is Real Madrid's second-highest goalscorer after Cristiano Ronaldo.
• He is the all-time French top goalscorer in the Champions League with 90 goals.
• Benzema won the Ballon d'Or in 2022, becoming the fifth French player to do so.
• He was part of the French squad that finished runners-up at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, though he did not play due to injury.
• Benzema announced his international retirement in December 2022.