[129] His performances during the pre-season resulted in Mourinho naming him the starting lead striker for the new campaign. Karim Mostafa Benzema (French pronunciation: ​[kaʁim mɔstafa bɛnzema]; born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish club Real Madrid and the France national team. When I see the previous winners – Zidane, Henry and other major players – it makes me proud to join them on the list. [242] Benzema later 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".[243]. 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. Benzema is considered to be one of the most powerful strikers in the World. Karim Benzema 93 - live prices, in-game stats, comments and reviews for FIFA 21 Ultimate Team FUT. Posted by Jamie Wilkinson Follow @jamiewiIkinson. In 2010, long before Benzema was arrested for blackmailing national teammate Mathieu Valbuena, he had already been confronted by the legal authorities for a different issue. To close out the campaign, Benzema scored another double in an 8–1 win over Almería. [194] On 1 May 2018, Benzema scored twice in a 2–2 draw against Bayern Munich in the return leg of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League semi-final, as Real progressed to the final on a 4–3 aggregate. Benzema started the match, but was substituted out for Nasri in the second half after a frustrating performance. He was also nominated alongside Franck Ribéry to be featured on the French cover of the video game FIFA 09. [14][15] 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. He scored his first goal in a friendly against Austria, and ranks as his nation's tenth all-time top goalscorer. [277] In the team's first match, a 3–0 win against Honduras in Porto Alegre on 15 June, he scored a goal in each half, the first from a penalty kick. [199] He totaled three goals in six matches, all of them against Viktoria Plzeň, helping Real Madrid topping Group G.[200] Later on 13 February of the following year, in the first leg of the competition's round of 16, Benzema scored the opener of a 2–1 away win over Ajax,[201] reaching 60 Champions League goals, becoming only the fourth player to do so. [73] He scored the lone goal in the club's 1–0 win, scoring in the 87th minute. [306] Benzema's father, Hafid, was born in Tigzirt, while his mother, Wahida Djebbara, was born and raised in Lyon; her family originated from Oran. [211], On 4 October 2020, Benzema scored his 250th goal for Real Madrid in all competitions, in a 2–0 win over Levante UD. In addition to his goalscoring, Benzema is known for his willingness and ability to drop into deeper or wider positions, and either link-up play with midfielders, or use his strength 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 playing style, he has been described as a "nine and a half" in the media. [230] In the first round of qualification for the UEFA-sanctioned tournament, he scored his only goal in the final group match against Austria. Karim Benzema PES 2021 Stats. [167] On 18 January 2014, he scored his 100th goal for Madrid in a 5–0 victory at Real Betis. [212][213] On 27 October, he scored a goal in a 2–2 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Champions League, to become the second player in history after Lionel Messi to score in 16 consecutive Champions League seasons. [141][142][143] On 10 December 2011, Benzema scored the opener in Madrid's 3–1 defeat to Barcelona in the El Clásico. 1. [75] The goals brought his total tally in the pre-season with Real Madrid to five, making him the joint top scorer alongside fellow striker Raúl. The French forward is accused of trying to blackmail former France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena in 2015. [231] France won the match 2–0, which resulted in the team progressing to the Elite Round. Benzema described the call-up as "a reward", while also stating "I am pleased, of course, me and my family. On his tournament debut, Benzema scored the opening goal in a 3–1 win over Northern Ireland. [209][210] At the end of the season, Real Madrid won the 2019–20 La Liga, while scoring over 20 goals. [144] The goal, scored just 21 seconds into the match, was the fastest goal ever scored in a match between the two rivals. Karim is third youngest in his family of nine children. [279] In the second group fixture, he scored and had a penalty saved in a 5–2 defeat of Switzerland, as Les Bleus all but secured qualification to the knockout stage. [114][115][116] The strike against his hometown club was the 100th goal of his professional career, and also the first goal for Real Madrid at the Stade de Gerland in six years, though despite the honours associated with netting the goal, Benzema did not celebrate out of respect for his former club. Benzema is sponsored by German sportswear company Adidas and has, subsequently, appeared in several television advertisements for the brand. [132] In the second leg, with Madrid trailing 4–3 on aggregate late in the match, Benzema scored the equalizing goal to even the tie at 4–4. Real Madrid star Karim Benzema to stand trial in sex tape case. [262] Prior to the list being unveiled, Benzema informed Radio Monte Carlo that if he was not selected he would be "very disappointed, but not killed" and "I will support the France team no matter what". [207], In February 2020, Benzema extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2022. "[287], 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". Under Houllier, he struggled for meaningful minutes due to the presence of newly signed Brazilian striker Fred, as well as Sylvain Wiltord. Karim’s grand-father Da Lakehal Benzema was Algerian, he migrated to France in 1950. [226][227] On 19 May 2005, in the team's final match of the season against Slovakia, Benzema scored all four goals in a 4–1 victory. Despite losing the title, Benzema got back on track scoring his 15th and 16th goals of the season on 17 May in a 3–1 away victory over rivals Marseille, the first goal being a penalty. Lyon won the match 2–0 as Benzema provided the assist on the second goal scored by Bryan Bergougnoux. [311], In 2020, Benzema started his own YouTube channel, uploading videos of his everyday life, as well as interviews and fan Q&As. [28], Benzema began earning more playing time in the 2006–07 season and made his competitive season debut in the 2006 Trophée des Champions against Paris Saint-Germain. Lyon later won the league curtain-raiser 5–4 on penalties. [245] After failing to make the squad for the team's February 2007 match against Argentina, Benzema returned to the team in March for a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match against Lithuania and a friendly against Austria. [154] A week later, he scored a double in a 4–0 shutout of Racing Santander. In 2009, Benzema was the subject of a then French record association football transfer when signed for Real Madrid in a transfer worth €35 million. [121] 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 honour with the club. [105] In late November, Benzema was inserted into the starting eleven following a severe back injury to Higuaín, along with the team's lack of senior strikers. Email us at [email protected], Himanshu Rana (Cricketer) Height, Weight, Age, Biography, Facts & More, Dr A. F. Pinto Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More, Nandish Sandhu Height, Weight, Age, Biography, Wife & More, Ben Foakes (Cricketer) Height, Age, Girlfriend, Family, Biography & More, K.V. In January 2014, the judge in the case dropped the charges against both Ribery and Benzema saying there was lack of sufficient evidence that the pair knew the prostitutes were underaged. In December 2006, the striker was approached by former federation president 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. On his 22nd birthday, he scored in a 6–0 home win against Real Zaragoza. He made his debut with the team at a local tournament in the Czech Republic. Join the discussion or compare with others! [16] Following the trial, Benzema officially joined Lyon and was inserted into the club's academy. [308][309], On 3 February 2014, his daughter Mélia was born. Benzema played for Lyon until 2009, after that he moved to Real Madrid for transfer fee worth over € 35 million. How much does Karim Benzema earn? [263], Following the World Cup, Benzema returned to the national team under the reign of new coach Laurent Blanc. Join Facebook to connect with Celia Benzema and others you may know. [253], In November 2008, Benzema, among several other young players in the team, was accused of being insolent during the team's campaign at the European Championship. [233] Both of his goals were scored within a minute of each other. [42], —Benzema in 2008 after being compared to his French compatriot Zidane.[43]. [224] He opened the tournament by scoring two goals in a 7–0 victory over Cameroon. [150][151] The 4–2 aggregate win advanced Real Madrid to the quarter-finals where the club faced Barcelona. [64] Benzema was a part of four of those title runs. The transfer fee was priced at €35 million with the fee rising to as much as €41 million based on incentives. Karim Mostafa Benzema is a French professional footballer, presently playing as a striker for the French national football team and the Spanish professional football club ‘Real Madrid.’ He joined the Lyon-based French football club ‘Olympique Lyonnais,’ better known as ‘Lyon,’ at the age of 9. [91][92] Following an injury to Higuaín in early January 2010, Pellegrini inserted Benzema back into the starting lineup. Karim Benzema knows that the door will always be open to him at Lyon should he ever wish to return, and the French club would love to make their dream a reality.. Ibiza, Spain is favorite holiday destination of Benzema. [244] 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. [170] One week later, 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. View the profiles of people named Celia Benzema. Benzema was controversially left out of the squad for the 2010 World Cup, and has not played for France after being implicated in a publicised scandal involving blackmail in 2015. On 30 April 2013, Benzema scored one goal and assisted to Sergio Ramos against Dortmund. [271] 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. The Frenchman has already netted 16 times this campaign while over his last two full seasons he scored 57 goals and is one of the most consistent elite forwards in football. [247] On 13 October, Benzema scored a double in a 6–0 win against the Faroe Islands. [278] He later added a third goal sealing France's 3–0 victory against Honduras. [31] He also converted two goals in the Champions League group stage against Romanian outfit Steaua București and Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv. [261] He scored his first World Cup qualification goals in victories over the Faroe Islands and Austria in October 2009. He scored his three goals in wins over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg, and Albania. Zidane was the first to achieve both honorable mentions. Benzema got off to a good start for the 2008–09 season, scoring twice in Lyon's opening league match against Toulouse. [187] He was a regular starter, and scored the last goal of the season which gave him eleven for the campaign, when Madrid won the 2016–17 La Liga[188][189] and the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League. [280] France were later knocked out by Germany in the quarter-final stage of the tournament. [307] The former plays at the amateur level 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. [260] On 5 June 2009, Benzema converted the only goal of the match, a penalty shot, in a 1–0 win over Turkey at the Stade de Gerland, his home stadium. [159] Los Blancos captured their 32nd league title the following week cruising to a 3–0 win over Athletic Bilbao. [168] On 23 March, Benzema scored two goals against fierce rivals Barcelona in El Clásico at the Bernabéu from two crosses by Ángel Di María, taking his goal tally in La Liga to 17 goals, though Barcelona won the match 4–3. 2. Benzema made his debut in the competition on 9 June 2008 in the team's opening match against Romania. [288], A creative, skillful, quick, agile, and prolific forward, who is good in the air and capable of playing off the shoulders of the last defender,[289][290][291] Benzema has been described as an "immensely talented striker" who is "strong and powerful" and "a potent finisher from inside the box" with either foot, as well as his head, despite being naturally right footed. [107][108] Two weeks later, Benzema converted another hat trick, this time in an 8–0 thrashing of Levante in the Copa del Rey. February 9, 2021. [128] The striker was impressive in the pre-season scoring eight goals in seven matches. Benzema began the 2005–06 season under the tutelage of new manager Gérard Houllier. 2Include UEFA Champions League [128] The spell at the clinic was ultimately a success after the striker arrived at pre-season 8 kilograms (18 lb) lighter. [119] On 30 April, he scored a goal in the team's 3–2 loss to Real Zaragoza. [223] Due to France winning the 2004 U17 European title, the under-18 team was allowed participation in the 2005 Meridian Cup. [81] After failing to score a goal in the month of October, in the team's first match in November against Italian club Milan in the Champions League, Benzema scored the opener to give Madrid a 1–0 lead. [238][239][240][241] Despite still being eligible to represent the under-21 team until 2009, his appearance in the second leg defeat to Israel was Benzema's last with the team and he finished his under-21 career with five appearances and no goals. [306] His younger brothers Gressy and Sabri are also footballers. [202], 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 opening La Liga match. "[21] He, subsequently, made his professional debut on 15 January 2005 against Metz, appearing as a substitute for Pierre-Alain Frau. Karim Benzema added the G-Wagen to his car collection in 2017 Credit: Instagram, @karimbenzema Well, if your Sunday car is worth £140k! However, six minutes later, a Lionel Messi strike gave Barcelona the supercup. Benzema was called up for the first time 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.