Karim Benzema
French striker, Real Madrid legend, Ballon d'Or winner.
Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December, 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker. He is a free agent after the termination of his contract with Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal. Regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time, Benzema is known for his creativity, technical skills, vision and versatility on the field. He won 25 trophies with Real Madrid, including four La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey titles, and five UEFA Champions League titles. He has scored over 500 career goals for club and country, and is Real Madrid's second-highest goalscorer after Cristiano Ronaldo and its third-highest assist provider after Míchel and Paco Gento. In the Champions League, Benzema is both the all-time French top goalscorer (90) and assist provider (29). He is also one of the few players in football history with 1,000 or more official appearances.
Quick Facts
- International career
- 2007 – 2022
- Caps
- 97
- International goals
- 37
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.
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. He 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, a three-year deal.
He finished the 2004–05 campaign with six appearances as Lyon won their fourth-straight league title. In the 2005–06 season, he made his UEFA Champions League debut on 6 December 2005 against Rosenborg, scoring his first professional goal. He scored his first professional league goal on 4 March 2006 against Ajaccio. In the 2006–07 season, he converted a penalty in the Trophée des Champions and scored in the first league match against Nantes.
He suffered a severe thigh injury on 10 November 2006, missing three months, and scored his only league goal of the season in the final match against Nantes as Lyon recorded its sixth consecutive league title. For the 2007–08 season, he switched to the number 10 shirt and was inserted into the lead striker role, responding with 31 goals in 51 games. He topped the league with 20 goals, scored four goals in the Champions League, one in the Coupe de la Ligue, and totaled six goals in six Coupe de France matches, helping Lyon win their first ever double.
On 13 March 2008, he extended his contract with Lyon until 2013 with a one-year extension option, becoming one of the highest paid footballers in France.
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