Karim Benzema French Footballer From Lyon

Early life

Karim Benzema was born on 19 December 1987 in Lyon, France, to a family of Algerian descent. He grew up in Bron, an eastern suburb of Lyon, in a family with several siblings. He began playing at the local club Bron Terraillon at the age of eight, then joined the youth academy of Olympique Lyonnais after a trial. In the under-16 national league he scored 38 goals, and in 2004–05 he was promoted to Lyon's reserve side, where he scored ten times in the autumn.

Career

Benzema made his professional debut for Lyon on 15 January 2005 as a substitute against Metz and scored his first senior goal in the Champions League on 6 December 2005 against Rosenborg. In 2007–08 he took the number 10 shirt and scored 31 goals in 51 matches, including 20 to top the Ligue 1 scoring chart, as Lyon won the league and Coupe de France double. He was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year, received the 2008 Bravo Award, and was shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or that year.

In July 2009 he signed with Real Madrid in a deal worth 35 million euros, rising to as much as 41 million with incentives. His first seasons in Spain were uneven, and he often played from the bench. His form improved from 2010–11, when he scored 26 goals and won the Copa del Rey, his first honour with Madrid. Madrid won La Liga in 2011–12, and in December 2011 he scored after 21 seconds in El Clásico, the fastest goal in the history of that fixture. From 2013 he formed an attacking trio with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, nicknamed the BBC, which helped Madrid to four Champions League titles between 2014 and 2018.

After Ronaldo left in July 2018, Benzema became the club's main scorer, with 30 goals in 2018–19. He won La Liga in 2019–20 and became Madrid's vice-captain for 2021–22. That season he scored hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the Champions League knockout rounds, won his first Pichichi Trophy with 27 league goals, and finished as top scorer in the Champions League with 15 as Madrid won their fifth title of his time at the club. He became captain in 2022–23 and, on 17 October 2022, was awarded the Ballon d'Or. In August 2022 his goal in the UEFA Super Cup made him Madrid's second-highest scorer, behind only Ronaldo. He won 25 trophies with the club, including four La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey titles and five Champions League titles, and left in June 2023.

He signed for Al-Ittihad of the Saudi Pro League on a free transfer and was made club captain in August 2023. In 2024–25 he scored 21 league goals in 28 games as Al-Ittihad won the league title and the King's Cup, and he was named the league's player of the season. On 30 August 2025 he scored a hat-trick against Al-Okhdood that took his career tally past 500 goals. On the last day of the 2025–26 winter transfer window he moved to Al Hilal, scored a hat-trick on his debut, and helped the club win the King's Cup that season. His contract there was ended by mutual consent on 31 August 2026.

For France, Benzema won the 2004 European Under-17 Championship and made his senior debut on 28 March 2007 against Austria, scoring the only goal. He played at UEFA Euro 2008, Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup, scoring twice against Honduras and once against Switzerland in Brazil. He did not play for France for more than five years and returned for UEFA Euro 2020, scoring four goals and winning the bronze boot. He then won the UEFA Nations League in 2021. Injured before the 2022 World Cup, he did not play but received a runner-up medal, and on 19 December 2022 he retired from international football with 97 caps and 37 goals.

Recognition

Benzema won the Ballon d'Or in 2022, the fifth French player to do so, and was also named UEFA Player of the Year for his 2021 and 2022 performances. He has been named French Player of the Year by France Football four times, and is also a recipient of the Bravo Award and the Trophées UNFP du football.