Karim Benzema

Karim Mostafa Benzema (كريم مصطفى بن زيما; born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.

Regarded as one of the best strikers of all time, he is a creative forward known for his technical skills, vision and versatility on the field, Benzema is Real Madrid's all-time second-highest goalscorer and top assist provider.

He won 24 trophies with Real Madrid, including four La Liga, three Copa del Rey, and five UEFA Champions League titles.

According to Serge Santa Cruz, who was president of Bron Terraillon in the 1990s, Lyon officials had visited him directly in an attempt to sign the youngster; however, Santa Cruz refused.

After talking with Benzema's father, the club allowed the player to undergo a trial with Lyon.

Following the trial, Benzema officially joined Lyon and was inserted into the club's 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 being described as a student who was "discreet and respectful".

At under-16 level, Benzema scored 38 goals in the Championnat National des 16 ans, the domestic league for under-16 youth players in France.

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 earned 97 caps, including scoring in three and appearing in four major tournaments, and ranks as France's sixth-highest all-time top goalscorer.

Ahead of the 2004–05 season, Benzema was promoted to the club's reserve team, which was playing in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of French football.

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.

As is customary with new players arriving at Lyon, the young striker had to stand up and speak to his new teammates, which at that time included the likes of Michael Essien, Sylvain Wiltord, Florent Malouda and Eric Abidal.

While speaking, Benzema was subjected to jokes and laughter, which prompted the youngster to declare, "Do not laugh, I'm here to take your place."

Born in Lyon to parents of Algerian descent, Benzema began his career with hometown club Lyon in 2005, contributing sporadically to three Ligue 1 title wins.

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.

Under Houllier, he struggled for meaningful minutes due to the presence of newly signed Brazilian striker Fred, as well as Sylvain Wiltord.

Benzema 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.

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.

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 blackmailing scandal 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.

At 34 years and 302 days old, he is the third-oldest winner of the award.

Benzema began his football career at his hometown club Bron Terraillon at the age of eight.

While at the club, he was nicknamed "Coco" by friends and, after scoring two goals in an under-ten match against the Lyon youth academy, began attracting attention from the biggest club in the city.

After struggling to establish himself in his debut season, he eventually achieved a consistent goalscoring rate with the club, notably being part of a highly rated trio alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale — dubbed "BBC" — who were integral to four Champions League wins from 2014 to 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.