Karim Benzema

french association football player
“ Benzema ” redirects here. For the Capital Bra song, see Capital Bra discography
Karim Mostafa Benzema ( hold 19 December 1987 ) is a french professional football player who plays as a hitter for spanish golf club Real Madrid and the France home team. A creative fore known for his playmaking and complete, [ 4 ] Benzema is regarded as one of the best strikers in the populace. [ 5 ] [ 6 ]

Reading: Karim Benzema

Born in Lyon to Algerian parents, Benzema began his aged career with hometown club Olympique Lyonnais in 2005, contributing sporadically to three Ligue 1 title wins. In 2008, he was named the National Union of Professional Footballers ( UNFP ) Player of the class and in the team of the class as he finished as the league ‘s top goalscorer and won his fourth title and beginning Coupe de France. In 2009, Benzema was the subject of a then french record association football remove when signed for Real Madrid in a transfer worth €35 million. After struggling to establish himself in his debut season, Benzema finally reached prominence at Real Madrid and has won thirteen trophies, including three La Liga titles, two Copas del Rey, and four UEFA Champions League titles, and ranks as the club ‘s one-fourth all-time acme goalscorer, american samoa good as their all-time top serve supplier. His creativity saw him provide Cristiano Ronaldo with assists throughout their clock together at the club. [ 7 ] While at Real Madrid, Benzema has besides been named French Player of the Year three times. A french international, Benzema won the 2004 UEFA european Under-17 Championship and made his elder debut for France in 2007, at age 19. He has since earned over 90 caps, including scoring in three and appearing in four major tournaments : the 2008, 2012 and 2020 editions of the UEFA European Championship, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He scored his first goal in a friendly against Austria, and ranks as his nation ‘s fifth all-time top goalscorer. 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 publicize scandal involving blackmail in 2015 ; he returned to the squad for Euro 2020 .

Club career

early career

“ When I was younger, the direction Ronaldo played had an influence on me. For me, he ‘s the best hitter of all-time. I watch videos of him, and try to do what he does, but it ‘s not easy. It ‘s impossible to pull off the like moves as he did. ”

—Benzema on the influence of his idol, brazilian striker Ronaldo, on his own career. [ 8 ]
Benzema began his football career at his hometown club Bron Terraillon SC at the age of eight. While at the club, he was nicknamed Coco by friends and, after scoring two goals in an under-10 equal against the Lyon youth academy, began attracting attention from the biggest cabaret in the city. [ 9 ] [ 10 ] According to Serge Santa Cruz, who was president of Bron Terraillon in the 1990s, Lyon officials had visited him directly in an undertake to sign the child ; however, Santa Cruz refused. [ 11 ] After talking with Benzema ‘s don, the club allowed the player to undergo a trial with Lyon. [ 11 ] Following the trial, Benzema formally joined Lyon and was inserted into the club ‘s academy. [ 12 ]

lyon

Benzema cursorily ascended up the young 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 ”. [ 11 ] [ 13 ] At under-16 flat, Benzema scored 38 goals in the Championnat National des 16 ans, the domestic league for under-16 youth players in France. [ 14 ] Ahead of the 2004–05 season, Benzema was promoted to the golf club ‘s reserve team, which was playing in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of french football. Despite alone playing with the team during the fall political campaign, he scored a team-high ten-spot goals as the Lyon modesty team finished second base in its group. [ 15 ]

2004–2007 : breakthrough and three league titles

Benzema was called up to the senior team for the first time under director Paul Le Guen during the break in leading up to the moment half of the season. As is customary with new players arriving at Lyon, the young hitter had to stand up and speak to his new teammates, which at that meter included the likes of Michael Essien, Sylvain Wiltord, Florent Malouda and Eric Abidal. [ 16 ] While speak, Benzema was subjected to jokes and laughter, which prompted the child to declare, “ Do not laugh, I ‘m here to take your seat. ” [ 16 ] He, subsequently, made his professional debut on 15 January 2005 against Metz, appearing as a substitute for Pierre-Alain Frau. Lyon won the equal 2–0 as Benzema provided the assist on the second goal scored by Bryan Bergougnoux. [ 10 ] [ 17 ] He would subsequently sign his first professional abridge, agreeing to a three-year deal. [ 18 ] After making three more appearances as a substitute, on 2 April Benzema made his first professional begin in a 1–0 acquire over Lens. [ 19 ] He finished the political campaign with six appearances as Lyon won its fourth-straight league title. Benzema began the 2005–06 temper under the tutelage of new director Gérard Houllier. Under Houllier, he struggled for meaningful minutes due to the presence of newly signed brazilian striker Fred, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as Sylvain Wiltord. Benzema made his temper debut on 2 October 2005 in a league win over Rennes, appearing as a stand-in. [ 20 ] On 6 December, he made his UEFA Champions League debut in Lyon ‘s final examination group stage match against norwegian cabaret Rosenborg. On his competition debut, he scored his beginning professional goal in a 2–1 acquire. [ 21 ] A month subsequently, Benzema scored his first professional double in a 4–0 win over Grenoble in the Coupe de France. [ 22 ] On 4 March 2006, Benzema scored his first professional league goal against Ajaccio in a 3–1 gain. [ 23 ] Benzema began earning more play time in the 2006–07 season and made his competitive temper debut in the 2006 Trophée des Champions against Paris Saint-Germain. In the french Supercup, Benzema converted a penalty which drew the match at 1–1. Lyon late won the league curtain-raiser 5–4 on penalties. [ 24 ] Benzema opened the league political campaign on a promptly note scoring in the team ‘s foremost match of the season against Nantes. [ 25 ] Three weeks later, on 26 August 2006, Benzema appeared as a substitute and scored two goals in a 4–1 away win over Nice. [ 26 ] He besides converted two goals in the Champions League group stage against romanian outfit Steaua București and ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv. [ 27 ] [ 28 ] After appearing regularly during the fall campaign, on 10 November, Benzema suffered a hard second joint wound. [ 29 ] The injury resulted in the striker missing three months of action before returning in February 2007. Benzema failed to score a goal until the final league match of the season against Nantes as Lyon recorded its sixth straight league deed. [ 30 ]

2007–2009 : Club amulet

For the 2007–08 season, with Florent Malouda, John Carew and Sylvain Wiltord all departing from the club, Benzema switched to the number 10 shirt and was inserted into the lead striker character. After forming a special relationship with raw coach Alain Perrin, he responded 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. [ 31 ] Some of his more dazzle performances that season included a hat-trick against Metz on 15 September, [ 32 ] an equalizing finish in the 90th minute from a free kick against Derby du Rhône rivals Saint-Étienne, [ 33 ] and a finish against Lens that was nominated for goal of the temper by fans. In the Champions League, Benzema scored an crucial double against Rangers at Ibrox Stadium on the last equal day of the group stage. The 3–0 victory assured Lyon progress to the smasher rounds. [ 34 ] In the smasher rounds, Lyon faced Manchester United and Benzema continued to score, this time it was from outside the punishment box in the first gear leg match which ended in a 1–1 attract [ 35 ] and United finally won the tie 1–2 on aggregate. Manchester United director Sir Alex Ferguson and players praised Benzema for his operation. [ 36 ] Lyon club president Jean-Michel Aulas late accused Ferguson of tapping-up Benzema. [ 37 ]

“ It ‘s a compliment to be compared to Zinedine Zidane, but we are different players. ”

Benzema in 2008 after being compared to his french compatriot Zidane. [ 38 ]
On 13 March 2008, Benzema extended his contract with Lyon until 2013 with a annual extension choice. [ 39 ] After signing his new abridge, Benzema became one of the highest pay footballers in France. [ 40 ] For his efforts that season, he was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year, selected to the team of the year and awarded the Trophée du Meilleur Buteur for being the league ‘s top scorer. [ 41 ] [ 42 ] He won the 2008 Bravo Award given to the most great new football player play in Europe, [ 43 ] and was besides shortlisted by French magazine France Football for the 2008 Ballon d’Or award, [ 44 ] finally won by Cristiano Ronaldo. Benzema got off to a dependable start for the 2008–09 season, scoring twice in Lyon ‘s opening league match against Toulouse. [ 45 ] The pursuit three weeks, he scored goals against Rhône-Alpes rivals Grenoble [ 46 ] and Saint-Étienne [ 47 ] and scored a goal against Nice, converting a punishment in the dying seconds. [ 48 ] Lyon won all three matches. As a result of his early on goals, Lyon club president Jean-Michel Aulas quelled the many transmit rumors surrounding Benzema by placing a €100 million monetary value tag on the striker. He was besides nominated aboard Franck Ribéry to be featured on the french cover of the television bet on FIFA 09. [ 49 ]
Benzema during a educate school term with Lyon He scored his seventh finish of the league on 29 October, scoring in the 2–0 succeed over Sochaux. Benzema scored again the following weekend in a 2–0 win over Le Mans. [ 50 ] He was among the top scorers in the Champions League group stage, scoring five goals, [ 51 ] a double against Steaua București, [ 52 ] two goals in two matches against Fiorentina, [ 53 ] [ 54 ] and a finish against the eventual group winners Bayern Munich on the final match day. [ 55 ] Following the winter break, Benzema endured a rough spot going scoreless the first three games before recording his 11th goal of the season against Nice in a 3–1 victory. [ 56 ] Two weeks late, he scored his 12th goal against Nancy in a 2–0 victory. [ 57 ] The future nine matches, both Benzema and Lyon ‘s kind dwindled losing four matches, drawing three and winning merely two with Benzema scoring merely two goals in that stretch, both of them against Le Mans in a 3–1 victory. [ 58 ] The bad form resulted in Lyon losing their bag on first-place position and finally falling out of the title race, thus ending their streak of seven straight Ligue 1 titles. [ 59 ] Benzema was a character of four of those entitle runs. Despite losing the title, Benzema got second on racetrack scoring his 15th and 16th goals of the season on 17 May in a 3–1 away victory over rivals Marseille, the first finish being a punishment. [ 60 ] He scored his seventeenth goal the follow weekend against Caen in a 3–1 victory moving him into third base locate among Ligue 1 top scorers. [ 61 ]

real Madrid

2009–10 : transfer and adapting to Spain

On 1 July 2009, it was announced that Lyon had reached an agreement with spanish club Real Madrid for the transfer of Benzema. The transfer fee was priced at €35 million with the fee rising to ampere a lot as €41 million based on incentives. [ 62 ] [ 63 ] [ 64 ] [ 65 ] On 9 July, Benzema successfully passed his medical and signed his compress, a six-year deal, later that afternoon. [ 66 ] He was presented officially as a real Madrid player late that night at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, similarly to the previous signings of Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo. [ 67 ] Benzema made his real Madrid introduction on 20 July in the club ‘s opening pre-season friendly against irish club Shamrock Rovers in Dublin, appearing as a half-time substitute. [ 68 ] He scored the alone goal in the club ‘s 1–0 win, scoring in the 87th infinitesimal. [ 69 ] On 24 August, Benzema netted two goals in Real Madrid ‘s 4–0 victory over norwegian club Rosenborg in an annual friendly tournament organized for the Santiago Bernabeu Trophy. [ 70 ] The goals brought his total run in the pre-season with Real Madrid to five, making him the joint top scorer aboard colleague striker Raúl. [ 71 ] Benzema made his league introduction for Madrid on 29 August 2009 against Deportivo La Coruña. He started the match, but was substituted out in the second half as Madrid won 3–2. [ 72 ] A month by and by, he scored his first gear goal for the golf club in a 5–0 victory against newly promoted Xerez. [ 73 ] After missing the mid-week match against Villarreal, against Tenerife at the weekend, Benzema scored his first double for Madrid in a 3–0 home victory. [ 74 ] He made his Champions League introduction for the club on 30 September in a group phase tie against Marseille. [ 75 ] In the peer, Benzema assisted on a Cristiano Ronaldo finish. [ 76 ] After failing to score a goal in the month of October, in the team ‘s first catch in November against italian clubhouse Milan in the Champions League, Benzema scored the opener to give Madrid a 1–0 lead. His goal was later cancelled out by a Ronaldinho punishment. [ 77 ] On 7 November, in the El Derbi madrileño against Atlético Madrid, Benzema assisted on Madrid ‘s second goal, scored by Marcelo. Madrid won the meet 3–2. [ 78 ]
Benzema playing against Marseille in a 2009 Champions League match In late November, Benzema began appearing chiefly as a ersatz as coach Manuel Pellegrini preferred Gonzalo Higuaín in the jumper cable striker role. To coincide with his bench, the striker was besides being criticized by the spanish media for his under-performance and difficulties settling in the country as he had not even begun learning the spanish language. [ 79 ] [ 80 ] He was evening declared the “ newly Anelka “ by a spanish newspaper Marca blogger, referring to former Real Madrid striker Nicolas Anelka who had a disruptive class at the golf club before being sold. [ 81 ] Benzema was defended by his compatriot Zinedine Zidane, who admitted “ after two months, I was besides criticized ” and that Benzema was “ a talented musician and talented players in Madrid must win ”. [ 82 ] On 5 December, Benzema appeared as a alternate for Rafael van der Vaart and scored the third gear finish in a 6–0 frolic of Almería. [ 83 ] The day after the match against Almería, Benzema responded to the criticism by stating, “ I am wholly integrate and very felicitous at real Madrid ”, and, “ Yes, I have improved my adaptation. I have a raw home and I ‘m learning spanish to understand myself better with my teammates. ” [ 84 ] After about a month coming off of the bench, he started aboard Higuaín away to Valencia on 12 December and responded by assisting on one of Higuaín ‘s two goals. [ 85 ] A workweek late, Benzema returned to the judiciary. On his 22nd birthday, he scored in a 6–0 home winnings against Real Zaragoza. [ 86 ] [ 87 ] Following an injury to Higuaín in early January 2010, Pellegrini inserted Benzema back into the starting batting order. [ 88 ] After failing to score in his first base two starts in the absence of Higuaín, against Deportivo La Coruña on 30 January, he scored a double in an significant 3–1 away win. [ 89 ] [ 90 ] Following the fall of Higuaín, Benzema was relegated back to a substitute ‘s function and finished the campaign by making eight straight appearances off the judiciary. Included in one of those appearances was his concluding goal of the season against Athletic Bilbao in a 5–1 gain. [ 91 ]

2010–11 : First-team mainstay

Benzema play in a league match against Villarreal ahead of the 2010–11 season, Benzema switched to the number 9 shirt as actual Madrid were under the tutelage of new incoming director José Mourinho. The striker immediately drew the wrath of Mourinho who declared to reporters during a pre-season media session that “ Benzema must understand that he is highly talented, but that in itself is not adequate ”, while besides stating that “ [ Madrid ] need a striker who is sparky, not one that is dispirited ”. [ 92 ] Mourinho sentiments were later echoed by incoming France national team coach Laurent Blanc who acknowledged that Benzema was “ not used to working ”. [ 93 ] Blanc besides stated that the striker needed to shed weight in rate to fulfill his potential. [ 94 ] due to Mourinho preferring Ronaldo and Higuaín as his forwards, [ 93 ] Benzema began the campaign as a substitute coming off the workbench in the team ‘s opening league peer of the season against Mallorca. [ 95 ] Following the September international better, he made his first begin in a 1–0 gain over Osasuna. [ 96 ] On 21 September, Benzema made a substitute appearance and scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 home acquire against Espanyol. [ 97 ] Afterwards, the striker failed to score a domestic goal for about two months. The striker did assist on goals in back-to-back weeks against Hércules in the league and Milan in the Champions League. [ 98 ] [ 99 ]
Benzema celebrating a goal against Espanyol in La Liga On 10 November, Benzema scored his second gear goal of the political campaign against Real Murcia in the 2010–11 edition of the Copa del Rey. [ 100 ] In late November, Benzema was inserted into the starting eleven following a dangerous back injury to Higuaín, along with the team ‘s miss of aged strikers. In his inaugural match since being inserted into the starting batting order permanently, he scored his first gear Champions League finish of the season in a group stage repair against Dutch club Ajax. [ 101 ] In Madrid ‘s final group stage tie against french outfit Auxerre, Benzema scored his beginning hat trick for the club in a 4–0 acquire. The first goal he scored was Real Madrid ‘s three-hundredth goal in the Champions League era. [ 102 ] [ 103 ] Two weeks later, Benzema converted another hat antic, this fourth dimension in an 8–0 convulse of Levante in the Copa del Rey. [ 104 ] In the team ‘s first regular of the 2011 calendar year, he assisted the game-winning goal scored by Ronaldo in a 3–2 winnings over Getafe. [ 105 ] In late January, for the first time in his real Madrid career, Benzema scored goals in back-to-back matches. On 23 January, he scored the lone finish in a 1–0 win at dwelling against Mallorca. [ 106 ] Three days later, Benzema repeated his efforts scoring the entirely goal in a win over Sevilla in the first leg of the team ‘s Copa del Rey semi-final tie. [ 107 ] Real Madrid subsequently advanced to its 37th Copa del Rey final in club history after beating Sevilla 2–0 in the second leg. [ 108 ] Following the arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor on loanword, Benzema went fresh in two consecutive league matches in February 2011. He returned to the starting lineup on 19 February and embarked on a run in which he scored ten goals in eight matches. Included in those ten-spot goals were doubles in three straight matches against Málaga, Racing de Santander and Hércules, american samoa well as a finish in the first base leg of Madrid ‘s Round of 16 tie against former club Lyon. [ 109 ] [ 110 ] [ 111 ] The strike against his hometown club was the hundredth goal of his professional career, and besides the first goal for real Madrid at the Stade de Gerland in six years, though despite the honours associated with netting the finish, Benzema did not celebrate out of respect for his former club. [ 112 ]
Benzema meet in a league peer against Almería On 19 March, he scored the opener in the El Derbi madrileño as Real Madrid went on to win the equal 2–1. [ 113 ] Despite his form, Benzema appeared in only one of the four highly anticipate matches against El Clásico rivals Barcelona, in which the two clubs met in the league, the 2011 Copa del Rey Final and the Champions League smasher stage. In between those clashes, on 23 April 2011, Benzema scored a goal and assisted on another in a 6–3 acquire over Valencia. [ 114 ] On 30 April, he scored a goal in the team ‘s 3–2 loss to Real Zaragoza. [ 115 ] It was the merely match of the crusade that real Madrid loss, in which Benzema scored. To close out the political campaign, Benzema scored another double in an 8–1 win over Almería. [ 116 ] He finished the campaign second on the team behind Ronaldo with 26 goals as real Madrid captured the Copa del Rey giving Benzema his first award with the club. [ 117 ] For his performances during the crusade, particularly during the irregular half, Benzema was praised by Mourinho, club officials Florentino Pérez and Emilio Butragueño, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as national team coach Laurent Blanc. [ 118 ] [ 119 ] [ 120 ]

2011–12 : First La Liga backing

anterior to the beginning of the 2011–12 season, Benzema, taking the advice of compatriots Blanc and Zidane, [ 121 ] [ 122 ] ventured to Merano, Italy, to attend a high performance clinic where he undergo treatment to reduce his system of weights. [ 123 ] The spell at the clinic was ultimately a achiever after the striker arrived at pre-season 8 kilograms ( 18 pound ) easy. [ 123 ] While at the clinic, Benzema besides undergo physical train to build up his muscle mass. [ 123 ] The striker was impressive in the pre-season marking eight goals in seven matches. [ 124 ] His performances during the pre-season resulted in Mourinho naming him the starting lead striker for the newly campaign. Mourinho was late credited with Benzema ‘s transformation, [ 125 ] but denied fully responsibility and, rather, gave credit to the striker himself. [ 126 ] Benzema made his 2011–12 competitive debut for Madrid in the first gear leg of the 2011 Supercopa de España against Barcelona. In the couple, he started and assisted the open goal of the match, scored by Mesut Özil. [ 127 ] In the second peg, with Madrid trailing 4–3 on aggregate deep in the match, Benzema scored the equalizing goal to evening the tie at 4–4. however, six minutes late, a Lionel Messi strike gave Barcelona the supercup. [ 128 ] Benzema made his league debut for Madrid in the team ‘s 6–0 away win over real number Zaragoza. [ 129 ] In the team ‘s future league match two weeks late against Getafe, Benzema scored a double in a 4–2 victory. [ 130 ] After going scoreless in three consecutive league matches, he scored his third league goal of the crusade against Rayo Vallecano in a 4–2 winnings. [ 131 ] In the team ‘s ensuing pit against Ajax in the Champions League, Benzema scored Madrid ‘s third goal in a 3–0 home win. [ 132 ] He besides assisted on the undoer, which was scored by Ronaldo. [ 133 ] In the club ‘s adjacent Champions League match against Lyon, Benzema scored again netting the undoer. He besides turned supplier for the second back-to-back match assisting on a goal by Sami Khedira. [ 134 ] Madrid won the match 4–0. [ 135 ]

“ Benzema deserves full credit for his transformation. He had some aid from me, from his teammates and from Zizou, but he deserves the recognition. ”

José Mourinho, on Benzema ‘s successful progress in 2011. [ 126 ]
Benzema training ahead of a Champions League match in 2012 In November 2011, Benzema scored five goals ; three in the league and two in Europe. In the league, he converted his three goals in wins over Osasuna and Valencia, while he scored his two Champions League goals in a 6–2 group stage win over croatian club Dinamo Zagreb. [ 136 ] [ 137 ] [ 138 ] On 10 December 2011, Benzema scored the opener in Madrid ‘s 3–1 kill to Barcelona in the El Clásico. [ 139 ] The goal, scored just 21 seconds into the match, was the fastest goal ever scored in a match between the two rivals. [ 140 ] Three days after his record-breaking finish, for his performances during the 2011 calendar year, Benzema was named the France Football French Player of the Year, beating out Barcelona defender Eric Abidal and Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. [ 141 ] He became alone the second French musician based in Spain to win the award, and besides the second gear Real Madrid player to capture it. Zidane was the first to achieve both honorable mentions. Benzema expressed gratitude at winning the prize, stating, “ It is a pleasure to win an individual trophy. When I see the previous winners – Zidane, Henry and early major players – it makes me proud to join them on the tilt. ” [ 142 ] In the team ‘s next peer after winning the award, against Sevilla, Benzema assisted on two goals in a 6–2 victory. [ 143 ] Benzema opened the 2012 share of the campaign in positive form. He scored goals against Granada and Málaga. [ 144 ] Benzema scored against the latter club in the Copa del Rey in each leg of the Round of 16. [ 145 ] [ 146 ] The 4–2 aggregate win advanced real Madrid to the quarter-finals where the club faced Barcelona. After failing to score in the first leg, which ended 2–1 in privilege of Barça, [ 147 ] in the second branch on 25 January 2012, Benzema scored his third finish of the season against the Blaugrana, but Madrid failed to win the tie losing 4–3 on aggregate. [ 148 ] On 12 February, Benzema scored his first base league goal in over a month against Levante. [ 149 ] A workweek late, he scored a bivalent in a 4–0 shutout of Racing Santander. [ 150 ] On 24 March, Benzema scored two goals in a league win over substantial Sociedad. [ 151 ] The two goals made him the top french scorekeeper in La Liga history surpassing Zidane. [ 152 ] Three days former, Benzema scored another doubly in a 3–0 first branch away win over Cypriot club APOEL in the Champions League quarter-finals. [ 153 ] On 29 April, Benzema put in a masterpiece performance scoring two goals and assisting on another in a 3–0 gain over Sevilla. The double was his seventh of the season and allowed Madrid to close in on its first Primera Division deed in four years. [ 154 ] Los Blancos captured their 32nd league title the following week cruising to a 3–0 win over Athletic Bilbao. [ 155 ] Benzema appeared as a second-half substitute in the equal. [ 156 ]

2012–2016 : Sustained continental success

On the first matchday of the UEFA Champions League, Benzema scored an equalizer against Manchester City in 3–2 win at Santiago Bernabéu. On 4 October 2012, Benzema scored a bicycle kick goal off a traverse by Kaká in a 4–1 winnings against Ajax in Amsterdam. [ 157 ] On 18 December 2012, one day before his twenty-fifth birthday, his finely form saw him earn the award for best french football player of 2012, for the second class running. [ 158 ] On 2 March 2013, Benzema opened the scoring against Barcelona in the league game at the Santiago Bernabéu. Real went on to win the game 2–1, the second time they beat Barcelona in a workweek. On 30 April 2013, Benzema scored one finish and assisted to Sergio Ramos against Dortmund. [ 159 ] Benzema started the 2013–14 season by scoring in a 2–1 succeed over real Betis at the Santiago Bernabéu. [ 160 ] He scored again one week subsequently in a 1–0 away over Granada, assisted by Cristiano Ronaldo. [ 161 ] After four matches without scoring ( two with real Madrid and two with France ), he returned to goal-scoring human body by netting doubly in a 6–1 away win over Galatasaray in Champions League. [ 162 ] On 18 January 2014, he scored his hundredth goal for Madrid in a 5–0 victory at Real Betis. [ 163 ] On 23 March, Benzema scored two goals against ferocious rivals Barcelona in El Clásico at the Bernabéu from two crosses by Ángel Di María, taking his goal count in La Liga to 17 goals, though Barcelona won the match 4–3. [ 164 ]
Benzema during the 2014–15 temper Benzema was region of Real Madrid ‘s starting eleven in the 2014 Copa del Rey Final on 16 April at the Mestalla Stadium, and assisted Di María ‘s opening finish before Gareth Bale hit the winner for Madrid in a 2–1 victory. [ 165 ] One week late, on 23 April, Benzema scored the only goal of the game to win the first leg of a Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich, 1–0. [ 166 ] The baseball club went on to win the concluding in May. Real Madrid ‘s attacking trio of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano, dubbed “ BBC ”, finished the temper with 97 goals. [ 167 ] On 6 August 2014, Real Madrid announced that Benzema had signed a new five-year deal that will keep him at the cabaret until 2019. [ 168 ] On 12 August 2014, Benzema played the whole 90 minutes in Real Madrid ‘s 2–0 win against Sevilla in Cardiff to claim the UEFA Super Cup. On 16 September, Benzema scored Real Madrid ‘s 1,000th goal in european rival after netting a finish in a 5–1 victory over FC Basel in the foremost equal of the Champions League group phase. [ 169 ] He scored the winning finish in Real Madrid ‘s 2–1 away victory against Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League after coming on as a second-half substitute. [ 170 ] The adjacent weekend, he scored a couple in the 5–0 victory against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga. [ 171 ] In 2014, Benzema won France Football ‘s prize for French Player of the year for the third base meter ; lone Thierry Henry has won this award on more occasions. [ 172 ] Benzema was chosen as La Liga Player of the Month for October 2014, with his director Carlo Ancelotti winning the equivalent award. He scored three of Real Madrid ‘s 13 goals of the calendar month, in which they won three matches and only conceded just one goal. [ 173 ] On 8 December 2015, Benzema scored a hat antic in an 8–0 cream against Malmö FF. [ 174 ] On 20 December, he scored another hat antic in a 10–2 victory over Rayo Vallecano. [ 175 ] He was a regular starter when the team won the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League. [ 176 ]

2016–2018 : european threepeat and moment league style

In December 2016, Benzema was called up in Real Madrid ‘s team for 2016 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan. [ 177 ] In the semi-final match against América on 15 December, Benzema scored in the last moments of the first gear half, helping the team to progress in the final by winning 2–0. [ 178 ] In the final examination three days late against Kashima Antlers, Benzema opened the score in the 9th hour, and besides assisted Ronaldo ‘s second goal, as veridical Madrid won 4–2 in extra time after the regular time finished 2–2 to claim their second deed. [ 179 ] It was Benzema ‘s one-tenth deed with Real Madrid, and finished the rival as joint-second topscorer with two goals in two matches. [ 180 ]

2018–2021 : Club amulet, one-third league deed and the return of Zidane

With the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in July 2018, Benzema became Real Madrid ‘s newly goal-getter – scoring 30 goals in all competitions in 2018–19 as the club ‘s top scorekeeper for the campaign. [ 192 ] On 7 November 2018, Benzema scored a brace in the 5–0 win at Viktoria Plzeň in the UEFA Champions League group stagecoach, reaching the two-hundredth goal milestone with the club. [ 193 ] He became only the one-seventh Real Madrid musician to achieve the feat. [ 194 ] He totaled three goals in six matches, all of them against Viktoria Plzeň, helping substantial Madrid topping Group G. [ 195 ] Later on 13 February of the follow class, in the first leg of the contest ‘s round of 16, Benzema scored the opener of a 2–1 aside win over Ajax, [ 196 ] reaching 60 Champions League goals, becoming alone the fourthly musician to do so. [ 197 ] Benzema scored Real Madrid ‘s first competitive goal of the 2019–20 season on 17 August in the 3–1 away win over Celta Vigo in the open La Liga pit. [ 198 ] Later, on 6 November, he scored a brace in Real Madrid ‘s 6–0 suppression of Galatasaray, achieving two new milestones : he become the second player after Lionel Messi to score in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons and besides the one-third Real Madrid player to score 50 goals in the contest. [ 199 ] [ 200 ] His performances were praised by director Zinedine Zidane, who called him a legend and besides compared him with Cristiano Ronaldo. [ 201 ] Three days late, in the future league match, he scored a first-half pair in a 4–0 acquire at Eibar, overtaking Ferenc Puskás as the club ‘s sixth all-time goalscorer in La Liga with 157 goals from 323 appearances. [ 202 ] In February 2020, Benzema extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2022. [ 203 ] On 1 March, he made his five-hundredth appearance for real Madrid in a 2–0 base succeed over Barcelona in El Clásico, becoming the fourteenth player in the club ‘s history to achieve this milestone. [ 204 ] [ 205 ] At the end of the temper, Real Madrid won the 2019–20 La Liga, while scoring over 20 goals. [ 206 ]
When La Liga restarted after a three-month foramen due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Benzema scored a brace against Valencia in Real Madrid ‘s second gear game rear at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium on 18 June – his first goals at Madrid ‘s new irregular home land. [ 207 ] Benzema ‘s stimulate saw him surpass Ferenc Puskás as Real Madrid ‘s fifth All-Time Top Scorer with 243 goals. [ 208 ] On 16 July, Benzema ‘s brace against Villarreal secured Real Madrid ‘s 34th La Liga deed, after a 2–1 win at the Di Stefano – their tenth consecutive league acquire after the lockdown. [ 209 ] On 7 August, Benzema scored Madrid ‘s only goal at the Etihad as they went crashing out of the Champions League to Manchester City ( 2–4 on aggregate ) to end the crusade. [ 210 ] For the second consecutive season, Benzema finished as the clubhouse ‘s top scorer with 27 goals in all competitions. Benzema opened his goal account for 2020–21 on 4 October, away to Levante in La Liga, netting his 250th finish for real Madrid in all competitions. [ 211 ] [ 212 ] On 27 October, he scored an acrobatic over-the-head goal in a 2–2 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach at Borussia-Park in the Champions League, to become the moment player in history after Lionel Messi to score in 16 straight Champions League seasons. [ 213 ] On 9 December, he scored a brace in a 2–0 acquire over Borussia Mönchengladbach to send very Madrid to the Champions League smasher stages as group winners. [ 214 ] On 21 April, Benzema scored a brace and assisted another in a 3–0 aside win at Cádiz, which meant he scored against all 35 teams he has played against in La Liga. [ 215 ]

2021 : Vice-captain and the come back of Ancelotti

With the departure of Sergio Ramos to PSG, Benzema was promoted as Real Madrid ‘s vice-captain for the 2021–22 temper under Ancelotti. [ 216 ] On 14 August, Benzema scored a brace against Alaves as Los Blancos kicked off the league season with a 1–4 away win to sit at the top of the table. Benzema ‘s beginning half fusillade was the beginning official goal under Ancelotti in his second least sandpiper. [ 217 ] Six days by and by, Benzema signed a sign extension with Real Madrid, keeping him at the club until 2023. [ 218 ] Benzema scored his first hat-trick in three seasons in a 5–2 win over Celta Vigo on 12 September as Real Madrid returned to the Bernabeu for the first base fourth dimension since March 2020. [ 219 ] Wearing the armband, Benzema was the first Real Madrid Captain to score a hat-trick since Raul in 2008. [ 220 ] One week late, Benzema and Vini Jr would combine twice in the last few minutes against Valencia at the Mestalla. First in the 85th hour with Vini Jr scoring the counterweight from a Benzema pass, before Benzema scored the winner in the 88th moment via a cross from Vini Jr to complete a mirrorlike rejoinder to earn Real Madrid their first winnings at the Mestalla in four seasons. [ 221 ] On 22 September, Benzema scored a stimulate and provided another two assists in a 6–1 succeed over Mallorca at the Bernabeu. [ 222 ] Benzema ‘s stimulate allowed him to become alone the fourth Real Madrid musician in history to score 200 La Liga goals after Di Stefano, Raul and Cristiano Ronaldo. [ 223 ] With 15 finish contributions ( 8 goals, 7 assists ) after the first six La Liga matches, Benzema became the first player in the twenty-first hundred to reach this feat. [ 224 ] On 28 September, Benzema became the first the player in history to score in 17 consecutive Champions League seasons after scoring his first penalty in the competition in a 1–2 dwelling loss against Sheriff in the group stage. [ 225 ] On 22 October, Benzema scored Real Madrid ‘s thousandth Champions League goal at the Bernabéu against Shakhtar Donetsk. [ 226 ] In the summons, Benzema scored his 291st and 292nd goals for the club, making him their fourth highest all-time top scorekeeper, over-taking Santillana. [ 227 ] With his goal against Sevilla in La Liga on 28 November, he became the highest french goalscorer in clubhouse football matches, overtaking Thierry Henry. [ 228 ]

International career

young person

Benzema is a former France young person international having earned caps at all levels for which he was eligible, excluding the under-16 team. He is a member of the group, normally known in France as the Génération 1987, a young person class that produced stream internationals Hatem Ben Arfa, Jérémy Ménez and Samir Nasri, aboard himself. [ 229 ] Benzema was the last of the four to make his young person international debut under coach Philippe Bergeroo and officially joined the team ahead of the 2004 UEFA european Under-17 Championship that was played on home land. In the competition, he appeared in two matches. On his tournament debut, Benzema scored the opening goal in a 3–1 acquire over Northern Ireland. [ 230 ] His lone early appearance in the competition was in a 1–0 group stagecoach win over Spain as France went on to win the tournament defeated the lapp team in the final examination. [ 231 ] [ 232 ] Benzema was a regular crank in the team at under-18 level. He made his debut with the team at a local tournament in the Czech Republic. Benzema scored his first goal at under-18 level in the rival against Poland in the team ‘s final group stage match. [ 233 ] In the final against the hosts, he scored the open finish in a 2–0 winnings as France were declared champions of the competition. [ 234 ] On 30 September 2004, Benzema was one of three goalscorers in France ‘s 3–0 away win over Norway. [ 235 ] In the team ‘s future couple against Russia, he scored a double in a 3–1 victory. [ 236 ] due to France winning the 2004 U17 European title, the under-18 team was allowed engagement in the 2005 prime Cup. Benzema was called up to the team for the rival and played in all four matches, scoring a tournament-high five goals as France were crown champions of the tournament. [ 237 ] He opened the tournament by scoring two goals in a 7–0 victory over Cameroon. [ 238 ] After going scoreless in the team ‘s adjacent match against Sierra Leone, Benzema responded by scoring a goal in a shutout victory over Nigeria and netting another double in a 4–1 acquire against Egypt. [ 239 ] [ 240 ] On 19 May 2005, in the team ‘s final examination equal of the season against Slovakia, Benzema scored all four goals in a 4–1 victory. [ 241 ] He finished the under-18 campaign with 18 appearances and a team-high 14 goals and was, subsequently, praised by Bergeroo who, following the campaign, declared that Benzema was “ quite efficient ”. [ 242 ] The quartet of Benzema, Ben Arfa, Ménez and Nasri returned to international play together for under-19 duty. The four were joined by Issiar Dia, Blaise Matuidi and Serge Gakpé with the objective of winning the 2006 UEFA european Under-19 Championship. The team opened the political campaign with two friendly matches against Norway. Over the run of the two matches, Benzema scored one goal, which came in the first gear match, a 4–0 gain. [ 243 ] In the beginning round of reservation for the UEFA-sanctioned tournament, he scored his entirely finish in the final group pit against Austria. [ 244 ] France won the match 2–0, which resulted in the team build up to the Elite Round. [ 245 ] In the ensuing round, France were placed in a relatively easily group aboard Scotland, Bulgaria, and Belarus. In the possibility group bet on against Bulgaria, Benzema scored a bivalent converting a penalty and score in play as France won 4–0. [ 246 ] Both of his goals were scored within a infinitesimal of each other. [ 247 ] After amazingly drawing 0–0 with Belarus, France faced Scotland in the final examination group phase match. Benzema opened the grade in the 11th minute, but his goal was cancelled out by Steven Fletcher in the second base one-half. [ 248 ] The match ultimately finished 1–1 and, despite finishing the round undefeated, France were eliminated after being beaten on points by the Scots. [ 249 ] Benzema made his under-21 debut for Les Espoirs under coach René Girard in the team ‘s first match following the 2006 UEFA european Under-21 Championship against Belgium. He started the match and was replaced at half-time by Yoann Gourcuff. [ 250 ] He featured in reservation matches for the 2007 UEFA european Under-21 Championship and appeared as a starter and substitute in the first base leg and second leg, respectively, of the team ‘s surprising kill to Israel in the stipulate playoffs. [ 251 ] [ 252 ] Despite still being eligible to represent the under-21 team until 2009, his appearance in the second leg frustration to Israel was Benzema ‘s last with the team and he finished his under-21 career with five appearances and no goals. Prior to representing France at aged international charge, Benzema was courted by the Algerian Football Federation ( FAF ) who sought for the player to represent Algeria at senior international tied. In December 2006, the hitter was approached by former confederation president of the united states Hamid Haddadj and then-national team coach Jean-Michel Cavalli, but turned down the invitation citing his desire to continue his international career with France. [ 253 ] Benzema belated told french radio station Radio Monte Carlo “ Algeria is my parents ‘ country and it is in my heart, but football-wise, I will only play for the french national team ”. [ 254 ]

senior

euro 2008

Benzema playing for France in April 2008 Benzema was called up for the first clock to the senior national team by Raymond Domenech on 9 November 2006 for the team ‘s friendly match against Greece that would be played on 15 November. Benzema described the call-up as “ a reward ”, while besides stating “ I am please, of class, me and my family. A ( the senior national team ), is the national team ‘s highest honor ”. [ 255 ] Two days before the match, he was forced to withdraw from the team due to a thigh injury, which he suffered while playing domestically for Lyon. [ 256 ] After failing to make the police squad for the team ‘s February 2007 match against Argentina, Benzema returned to the team in March for a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying couple against Lithuania and a friendly against Austria. [ 257 ] After failing to appear in the qualifier, he made his international debut on 28 March 2007 against Austria. Benzema appeared as a half-time utility for Djibril Cissé and scored the only goal of the peer after a free-kick from Samir Nasri. [ 258 ] On 13 October, Benzema scored a double in a 6–0 win against the Faroe Islands. [ 259 ] After appearing regularly in the team for the perch of the 2007–08 season, he was named to the 23-man police squad to participate in UEFA Euro 2008. Benzema made his debut in the competition on 9 June 2008 in the team ‘s opening match against Romania. Benzema started the peer, but was substituted out for Nasri in the moment half after a frustrating performance. [ 260 ] The peer finished 0–0 and Benzema was, subsequently, criticized by the french media for his performance with newspaper Le Point declaring that Benzema was “ unrecognizable ” and that he “ symbolized the impotence of France in the assail ”. [ 261 ] The newspaper besides cited his lack of international feel for his soft operation. In the team ‘s future group crippled against the Netherlands, Benzema played no part in the 4–1 kill. [ 262 ] He returned to the team in its final group game against Italy and was given a target in the start batting order. [ 263 ] however, France lost 2–0 and were eliminated from the competition. [ 264 ] In November 2008, Benzema, among several other young players in the team, was accused of being audacious during the team ‘s campaign at the european Championship. The accusation came from international teammate William Gallas who inserted the charge in his autobiography. Though most of Gallas ‘ accusations were directed at Nasri, [ 265 ] [ 266 ] [ 267 ] during the competition, it was reported by newspaper Le Parisien that several of the home team players described Benzema as “ arrogant ” and that the striker was scolded by midfielder Claude Makélélé following the team ‘s loss to the Netherlands. [ 268 ]

2010 World Cup

Despite the reports from after Euro 2008, Benzema remained a regular in the team and, ahead of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, switched to the act ten shirt after previously wearing the issue nine. [ 269 ] In the team ‘s first match following its elimination from Euro 2008, Benzema scored a goal in a 3–2 friendly acquire over Sweden in Gothenburg. [ 270 ] Two months late, he scored another goal in a 3–1 victory against Tunisia at the Stade de France. [ 271 ] On 5 June 2009, Benzema converted the only goal of the equal, a penalty stroke, in a 1–0 gain over Turkey at the Stade de Gerland, his home stadium. [ 272 ] He scored his first World Cup reservation goals in victories over the Faroe Islands and Austria in October 2009. His cap against Austria would be his last of the Domenech earned run average as he failed to make France ‘s preliminary 30-man squad for the World Cup. Domenech cited Benzema ‘s fight for form with his new club Real Madrid, rather than his alleged participation in a arouse scandal as his reason for leaving the striker out. [ 273 ] Prior to the tilt being unveiled, Benzema informed Radio Monte Carlo that if he was not selected he would be “ very disappoint, but not killed ” and “ I will support the France team no count what ”. [ 274 ]

euro 2012

Following the World Cup, Benzema returned to the national team under the predominate of raw passenger car Laurent Blanc. Blanc, an admirer of Benzema, sought to build the attack around the striker and, after going about a year without representing France, Benzema made his return to the team in its 2–1 get the better of to Norway in Oslo. [ 275 ] [ 276 ] Alongside Gourcuff, Benzema led the team in scoring in qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012, netting three. He scored his three goals in wins over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg, and Albania. [ 277 ] [ 278 ] [ 279 ] On 17 November 2010, Benzema scored the open goal in France ‘s 2–1 win over England at Wembley Stadium. [ 280 ] In the team ‘s adjacent match against Brazil in February 2011, he scored the alone goal for France in a 1–0 winnings. [ 281 ] After appearing regularly in qualifying for Euro 2012, on 29 May 2012, Benzema was named to the squad to participate in the contest. [ 282 ] On 5 June, in the team ‘s final warm-up friendly ahead of the European Championship, Benzema scored two goals in a 4–0 shutout win over Estonia. [ 283 ] At Euro 2012, Benzema started the team ‘s opening peer against England, which ended in a 1–1 hook. [ 284 ] In the team ‘s ensuing group stage match against the Ukraine, he assisted both the goals in a 2–0 winnings. [ 285 ]

2014 World Cup

On 11 October 2013, Benzema scored his first goal for the France national team since June 2012 in a friendly against Australia, thus ending a score drought for his national team which had lasted 1,222 minutes. In that equal played at the Parc des Princes in Paris, which France won 6–0, Benzema scored France ‘s sixth and final goal in the fiftieth minute after turning dwelling Franck Ribéry ‘s leftist hybridization. [ 286 ] In the moment leg of the 2014 World Cup qualification play-off against Ukraine held on 19 November 2013 at the Stade de France, Benzema scored France ‘s second goal in the 34th minute to level the aggregate score at 2–2. Benzema scored his goal when he side-footed base after a huge beat in the ukrainian penalty box, although he was shown on television replays to be offside by about one meter when the ball took a final touch off Mathieu Valbuena ‘s breast. Benzema had four minutes early been denied a legitimate goal, the offside flag incorrectly raised when he turned in Ribéry ‘s depleted cross into the net with his torso a meter from the ukrainian goal-line. Ukraine had won the first leg of the play-off 2–0 in Kyiv merely four days earlier. France would finally win the second peg 3–0 to advance to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil with a 3–2 aggregate scoreline. [ 287 ] On 6 June 2014, Benzema was named in France ‘s team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, making his debut in the tournament. [ 288 ] In the team ‘s first match, a 3–0 winnings against Honduras in Porto Alegre on 15 June, he scored a goal in each half, the first from a penalty kick. He besides assisted the team ‘s second goal when his snapshot rebounded off the post and was fumbled over the goal-line by Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares for an own goal, the first World Cup goal given by goal-line technology. [ 289 ] He was named by FIFA as valet of the match for his performance. [ 290 ] In the moment group fixture, he scored and had a punishment saved in a 5–2 kill of Switzerland, as Les Bleus all but secured qualification to the smasher stage. [ 291 ] France were late knocked out by eventual winners Germany in the quarter-final stage of the tournament. [ 292 ]

euro 2016 and 2018 World Cup omissions

After last sport for France in a 4–0 winnings against Armenia on 8 October 2015, french Football Federation announced on 13 April 2016 that Benzema would not be picked for Euro 2016 tournament on home soil. [ 293 ] He responded on 1 June 2016 in Marca, in an consultation entitled ‘Benzema : “ Deschamps folded due to pressure from France ‘s racist element ” ‘. [ 294 ] Benzema was besides left off the roll for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. [ 295 ] Directing his frustration at FFF president Noël Le Graët, Benzema former tweeted : “ Mr Le Graët, with all due esteem, you ‘ve lost an opportunity to remain silent. I ‘ve discovered your true face, and this is n’t the one that said he appreciated me and would n’t discuss the subjugate of team selections ! ” [ 296 ] In November 2019, Benzema replied to Le Graët ‘s comments that his career with France was over, by saying : “ If you think I ‘m done, let me play with one of the other countries I am eligible for and we ‘ll see ”. [ 297 ]

come back to the squad for Euro 2020, 2021 Nations League Finals and 2022 World Cup Qualification

On 18 May 2021, following meditation from the media, Benzema was officially included in France ‘s 26-man team for UEFA Euro 2020, his first call-up to the national team in over five years. [ 298 ] He made his first appearance since his recurrence on 2 June, in a 3–0 home win over Wales, in a friendly warm-up couple before the final tournament, during which he missed a penalty, but was later besides involved in the final goal scored by Antoine Griezmann. [ 299 ] On 23 June 2021, he scored a stimulate in a 2–2 drawing card against Portugal, to be his first goals in the european Championship. [ 300 ] He subsequently scored another brace in France ‘s round-of-16 match against Switzerland, where France were knocked out of the tournament on penalties after a 3–3 draw. [ 301 ] With four goals in arsenic many games, Benzema won the Euro 2020 bronze kick. [ 302 ] In the 2021 UEFA Nations League semi-final on 7 October, Benzema scored France ‘s first goal in the second half as they came from behind to defeat Belgium 3–2. [ 303 ] He overtook Zidane in the France score records as he scored his 32nd goal for Le Blues to become the 6th top scorer in their history. [ 304 ] In the Final three days late, he scored the impermanent counterweight as France went on to clinch the title for the first prison term with a 2–1 victory over Spain ; [ 305 ] he was named “ Player of the Match ” by UEFA for his performance in the final examination. [ 306 ] With two goals, he was the joint–top scorer of the Nations League Finals, along with Spain ‘s Ferran Torres and teammate Kylian Mbappé, who won the exceed scorer trophy due to having besides provided two assists – Benzema won the tan boot due to playing more minutes than Torres. [ 307 ] The Nations League was Benzema ‘s first trophy with France ‘s aged team and his 27th of his career, making him the most adorned Frenchman in football history. [ 308 ] On 13 November 2021, Benzema scored his beginning goals in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers with a brace in a 8–0 winnings all over Kazakhstan as France booked their place for qatar 2022. [ 309 ] His brace saw him over-take David Trezeguet to become Les Bleus ‘ one-fifth all-time top scorer with 35 goals. [ 310 ]

stylus of play

A creative, nice, immediate, agile, and prolific ahead, who is good in the air and able of playing off the shoulders of the last defender, [ 311 ] [ 312 ] [ 313 ] Benzema has been described as an “ vastly talented hitter “ who is “ strong and herculean ” and “ a potent finisher from inside the box ” with either animal foot, arsenic well as his head, despite being naturally right footed. [ 314 ] [ 311 ] An atypical number 9, although he is normally deployed as a center forward, and can operate as an absolute striker, Benzema is besides capable of playing in several other offensive positions, and has been used on the wing, or even as a playmaker behind the chief striker, either in the issue 10 function as an attacking midfielder, or as a deep-lying forward. In addition to his goalscoring, Benzema is known for his willingness and ability to drop into deeply or wide-eyed positions, and either link-up gambling with midfielders, or use his forte and technical ability to hold up the ball with his back to goal to provide assists for teammates, courtesy of his vision, creativity, passing, and eye for the final ball ; because of his play style, he has been described as a “ nine and a half ” in the media. [ 311 ] [ 315 ] [ 316 ] [ 317 ] [ 318 ] [ 319 ] [ 320 ] [ 321 ] [ 322 ] [ excessive citations ] During his prison term at Real Madrid, Benzema has besides been praised by pundits for his work-rate and tactical intelligence off the ball, ampere well as his positional sense and attacking motion as a forward, which often draws opposing defenders out of situation, and in turn creates spaces for his teammates ; as such, he formed a firm unsavory partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo during the latter ‘s meter with the club. indeed, Benzema ‘s movement drew defenders away and created space for Ronaldo to make attacking runs into the center of the area from the left wing, which basically saw the Frenchman act as a false 9. [ 316 ] [ 317 ] [ 323 ] [ 324 ] [ 325 ] [ 326 ] [ excessive citations ]

personal life

(above) and a commercial (below) for Real Madrid in 2019 and 2018, respectively Benzema in an Adidas music videoand a commercialfor real Madrid in 2019 and 2018, respectively Karim Benzema was born in the city of Lyon to french nationals of algerian descent. [ 327 ] [ 328 ] His grandfather, Da Lakehal Benzema, lived in the village of Tigzirt, located in the northerly township of Aït Djellil in Algeria before migrating to Lyon, where he finally settled in the 1950s. [ 329 ] Benzema ‘s beget, Hafid, was born in Tigzirt, while his mother, Wahida Djebbara, was born and raised in Lyon ; her syndicate originated from Oran. Benzema is the third youngest in the family and grew up with eight other siblings in Bron, an easterly suburb of Lyon. [ 329 ] His younger brothers Gressy and Sabri are besides footballers. [ 330 ] The erstwhile plays at the amateurish flat with Vaulx-le-Velin in the Division d’Honneur, the sixth division of French football, while the latter plays in the youth academy of a club in the family ‘s hometown of Bron. [ 331 ] [ 332 ] On 3 February 2014, his daughter Mélia was born. [ 333 ] On 5 May 2017, his son Ibrahim was born. [ 334 ] As a rehearse Muslim, Benzema observes fasting during the Islamic holy place calendar month of Ramadan. [ 335 ] He has spoken about his religion saying : “ My religion helps me to be focused every day. It brings me benefits and it ‘s my forte for me, my class, american samoa well as for my exploit – for literally everything. ” [ 336 ] Since evolving internationally, Benzema has participated in numerous advertise campaigns. He was chosen as an ambassador of the American television game publisher Electronic Arts for the FIFA series. He has signed several sponsorship contracts, notably with the Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai, the french telephone hustler SFR and its subsidiary company BuzzMobile, the french bank LCL and the sports betting ship’s company bwin. Benzema is sponsored by Adidas. [ 337 ] In 2017, his objective movie Le K Benzema was released. [ 338 ] In 2020, Benzema started his own YouTube channel, uploading videos of his everyday life, arsenic well as interviews and sports fan Q & As. [ 339 ] [ 340 ]

Controversies and legal issues

On 6 December 2006, he told RMC about his possible survival for the algerian team : “ It ‘s my parents ‘ state, it ‘s in my center. But good after sporting, it ‘s true that I will play in french team. I will be constantly show for the french team. then it ‘s more for the sporting side, because Algeria is my area, here, my parents come from there. After, France … It ‘s more flashy, that ‘s it. ” [ 341 ] Benzema drew some criticism for these comments, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as for his reluctance to sing the french national hymn, “ La Marseillaise “, before each match with the home team. [ 342 ] [ 343 ] On 18 April 2010, it was first reported by french television channel M6 that four members of the french national team were being investigated for their roles as clients in a prostitute resound operated inside of a Paris cabaret, with some of the women possibly being underage. The players were finally revealed to be Franck Ribéry, Sidney Govou, Hatem Ben Arfa and Benzema. [ 344 ] [ 345 ] Benzema was alleged to have had a intimate rendezvous with a prostitute when she was 16 years of age, an act Benzema denied through his lawyer. [ 346 ] On 20 July, Benzema was questioned by Paris police and indicted on the charge of “ solicitation of a minor prostitute ”. [ 347 ] [ 348 ] In November 2011, prosecutors asked for the cases against Ribéry and Benzema to be dropped, saying that the players were not aware that the escort, identified as Zahia Dehar, was 16 years old. [ 349 ] however, the case did go on to test. In January 2014, the evaluator in the sheath dropped the charges against both Ribery and Benzema saying there was lack of sufficient evidence that the pair knew the prostitutes were underaged. [ 350 ] On 4 November 2015, Benzema was arrested by french police for his allege separate in blackmailing boyfriend France external player Mathieu Valbuena over the alleged recording of a sex-tape on a mobile call. [ 351 ] During the investigation over the blackmail plot, french Prime Minister Manuel Valls stated, “ A great athlete should be exemplary. If he is not, he has no place in the France team. There are sol many kids, so many youngsters in our suburbs that relate to capital athletes. They wear the gloomy jersey, the colours of France, which are so crucial in these moments. ” [ 352 ] [ 353 ] On 10 December 2015, the president of the FFF Noël Le Graët announced the probationary suspension of the striker from french team until a new development in the matter. [ 354 ] On 17 February 2016, the judicial recapitulation was lifted by the investigate judge who allowed Benzema to get in touch again with Valbuena. On 11 July 2017, the Court of Cassation issued a judgment in which it invalidated a decision of the Court of Appeal of Versailles, which had validated the routine by which Benzema had been indicted for complicity of attempted blackmail. This decisiveness was made on the basis of contesting the legality of the telephone calls read by the police, and the judgment did not disprove the veracity of the blackmail attack on Valbuena by Benzema. [ 355 ] On 7 January 2021, the public prosecutor ‘s function in Versailles announced that Benzema would face trial for his alleged interest in the blackmail undertake. [ 356 ] On 24 November 2021, Benzema was found guilty of conspiring to blackmail Valbuena with a sex tape. [ 357 ] [ 358 ] The evaluator gave him a one year suspended sentence and fined him €75,000. [ 357 ] [ 358 ] His lawyers said they will appeal his conviction. [ 357 ] In March 2020, during an Instagram livestream with YouTuber Mohamed Henni, [ 359 ] Benzema made controversial remarks on French player Olivier Giroud, who replaced Benzema in the France national team. [ 360 ] He called Giroud “ karting ” while he referred to himself as “ Formula 1 “. [ 361 ]

career statistics

cabaret

As of match played 1 December 2021[362][363]

International

As of match played 16 November 2021[364]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team
Year
Apps
Goals

France

2007
8
3

2008
11
2

2009
8
3

2010
5
3

2011
10
2

2012
12
2

2013
10
3

2014
13
7

2015
4
2

2021
13
9

Total
94
36

Scores and results list France’s goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Benzema goal.[365]

Honours

Lyon [ 366 ]
Real Madrid [ 366 ]
France U17
France
Individual

See besides

References

Media related to Karim Benzema at Wikimedia Commons