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.

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. According to Serge Santa Cruz, Bron Terraillon's president at the time, Lyon officials visited him in an attempt to sign Benzema, but Santa Cruz refused. After consultation with Benzema's father, Bron Terraillon allowed Benzema to undergo a trial with Lyon. Following the trial, Benzema officially joined Lyon's youth academy. Benzema quickly ascended up the youth categories in the academy. He served as a ballboy during Lyon senior team matches and performed well in school. At the under-16 level, Benzema scored 38 goals in the Championnat National des 16 ans. Ahead of the 2004–05 season, Benzema was promoted to the club's reserve team, which was playing in the Championnat de France amateur. Despite only playing with the team during the autumn campaign, he scored a team-high ten goals as the Lyon reserve team finished second in its group. Benzema was called up to the senior team for the first time under manager Paul Le Guen during the break leading up to the second half of the season. He made his professional debut on 15 January 2005 against Metz, appearing as a substitute for Pierre-Alain Frau. Lyon won the match 2–0 as Benzema provided the assist of the second goal scored by Bryan Bergougnoux. He signed his first professional contract the same month, agreeing to a three-year deal. After making three more appearances as a substitute, on 2 April Benzema made his first professional start in a 1–0 win over Lens. He finished the campaign with six appearances as Lyon won their fourth-straight league title. Benzema began the 2005–06 season under the tutelage of new manager Gérard Houllier. He made his season debut on 2 October 2005 in a league win over Rennes, appearing as a substitute. On 6 December, he made his UEFA Champions League debut in Lyon's final group stage match against Norwegian club Rosenborg. On his competition debut, he scored his first professional goal in a 2–1 win. A month later, Benzema scored his first professional double in a 4–0 win over Grenoble in the Coupe de France. On 4 March 2006, Benzema scored his first professional league goal against Ajaccio in a 3–1 win.

Did You Know?

• Benzema scored 31 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions for Lyon in the 2007-08 season.
• On 15 September 2007, Benzema scored a brace (not a hat-trick) against Metz in a 5-0 win.