Karim Benzema is a French footballer, who plays for France Football Team and the Spanish Professional Football club Real Madrid as a striker. He joined Lyon at the age of 9 and played his debut match in 2004-05. During the debut season, he contributed 30 goals for Lyon, helping them lift their 7th league title. He was entitled as the Ligue 1 Player of the Year, and was listed in the Team of the Year by National Union of Professional Footballers. He has won the French Player of the year three times. The footballer has played major tournaments like FIFA 2014 World Cup and the UEFA European Football club in 2008 and 2012.
Early Life
Karim Benzema was born on Dec 19, 1987, in Lyon, France to Hafid Benzema and Wahida Djebbara. The star striker spent his childhood in a small house of Bron with his eight siblings. He started playing football at the age of 8 for a local club Bron Terraillion with his brothers Sabre and Grassy. During a U-10 match, the Lyon club officials were present for scouting and left quite impressed by Benzemna’s performance, and signed him in 1996 for the club’s youth setup.
Personal Life
Karim Benzema was born in the city of Lyon. Karim is the 3rd youngest child among the eight that his parents have. His family origins seek from Oran. He is a devotee and follows the Islamic religion, and keeps fast during the pious month of Ramadan. He is married to Manon Marsault and has two children, daughter Melia, and son Ibrahim.
Professional Life
At the age of 16, after joining the Lyon, he was made a part of the academy of the club, in the League Champion National des 16, where he netted 38 goals. He made his professional debut on January 15, 2005, against F C Metz, where Lyon won the match 2-0. He was signed for three years with Lyon, and in his presence, the French outfit lifted their 4th League Title. On 25th December 2005, Benzema made his UEFA Champions League debut, where he netted his 1st professional goal against Norwegian club Rosenberg. The next season, in 2007, he was on fire and ended up netting 20 goals during the 2007-2008 season, topping the goal scoring charts in his league. He maintained his performance in the coming tournaments like Coupe de La Ligue, where he scored one goal, in addition to the four in Champions League, and six in Coupe de France. On 9th July 2009, he signed a contract with Real Madrid. He played a memorial match against Barcelona at Mestalla Valencia on 16th April 2014, helping the Galacticos to defeat arch-rivals Barcelona by 2-1, winning the title- Copa Del Rey. On 6 August 2014, he Signed another 5 years of contract with Real Madrid, while on 20th September 2017, he extended his contract till 2021.
Benzema became a part of the French U-17 team in 2004, and since then pushed up the ranks, making his senior team debut on 28 March 2007 against Austria. He was a part of the French team in the 2010 and 2014 editions of the FIFA World Cup. He was also an integral part of the Euro 2012 and Euro 2016 campaigns. Benzema, unfortunately, missed out on the 2018 FIFA World Cup-winning campaign, however, he is expected to make a comeback.
| CLUB | Season |
| Lyon B | 2004-06 |
| Lyon | 2004-09 |
| Real Madrid | 2009-20 |
Honours
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
- Copa del Rey: 2010–11, 2013–14
- Supercopa de España: 2012, 2017
- 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
France U17
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2004
Achievements
- Bravo Award: 2008
- Ligue 1 Top Goalscorer: 2007–08
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: January 2008, April 2008
- UNFPLigue 1 Player of the Year: 2007–08
- UNFPLigue 1 Team of the Year: 2007–08
- Étoile d’Or: 2007–08
- FIFA FIFPro World XINominee: 2009, 2011, 2012
- FIFA FIFPro World XI 3rd team: 2015, 2017
- FIFA FIFPro World XI 4th team: 2014, 2016
- FIFA FIFPro World XI 5th team: 2018
- UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2011–12
- La Liga Player of the Month: October 2014
- French Player of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2014
- Fastest goal in an El Clásicoon 10 December 2011 (21 seconds)
- Trophées UNFP for Best French Player playing Abroad: 2019
Karim Benzema Personal Details
Name: Karim Benzema
Nick Name: COCO
Nationality: French
Birth: 19th December 1987
Age: 31
Playing Position: Striker
Education: Olympique Lyonnais Academy
Relationships: Manon Marsault
Spouse: Kai Wayne, Klay Anthony, Kit Joseph, and Cass Ma Rooney
Physical Measurements
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 80 Kg.
Chest: 42 in.
Waist: 33 in.
Biceps: 15 in.
Karim Benzema Net worth
Karim Benzema’s Net Worth is estimated to be 40 Million Dollars.
Karim Benzema Controversy
- He fell on the wrong side of the law twice. He was charged for “solicitation of a minor prostitute,” an incident that was first reported by French TV channel ‘M6’ on April 18, 2010. The case is under trial.
- In another incident, the French police arrested him on November 4, 2015, for blackmailing French international footballer Mathieu Valbuena.
Social Media Profiles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarimBenzema/
Twitter: @9Benzema_Karim9
Instagram: @karimbenzema
