Career: football player, athlete
Date of Birth: December 19, 1987
Age: 36 years
Place of birth: Lyon, France
Height: 187
Family situation: divorce
Welcome to our fan site dedicated to one of the greatest footballers of our time – Karim Benzema. Here you will find all information about career, achievements and latest news on the contribution of this incredible player to world football. Karim Benzema is a French footballer, born on December 19, 1987 in Lyon. He began his professional career at Lyon, becoming one of the most promising talents of his generation. With his technical skills, physical strength and incredible goal-scoring instincts, he caught the attention of clubs around the world. In 2009, Karim joined the legendary Real Madrid, where he continues to shine. He has become a key member of the team, playing a major role in many victories and helping Real Madrid win many titles, including the Champions League. Karim's skills on the pitch are incredible. He has fantastic technical skills, excellent ball control, an accurate shot and an incredible positional sense. His ability to create chances and score goals makes him one of the most dangerous strikers in the world.
Karim Benzema is also an important figure in the French national team. He represented his country at the European and World Championships, where he performed excellently. His contribution to the success of the French national team cannot be overestimated. On our fan site, you will find detailed information about every match Karim has played in, his statistics, interviews, photos and videos. We have tried to collect all the most interesting and interesting things about the footballer so that you can dive deeper into his football world.
We also have a news section where you will always be up to date with the latest developments related to Karim Benzema. Whether it is his awards, his transitions or the important events in his personal life, we will always be the first to tell you about it. We recognize the greatness and talent of Karim Benzema and have created this fan site to share with you our admiration. We hope that you will find everything you are looking for here and that you will experience an exciting journey through the world of football with Karim Benzema in the spotlight. Thank you for visiting our fan site. Enjoy football and the splendor of Karim Benzema !
Karim Mostafa Benzema was born in 1987 in Lyon, France, to a large immigrant family of Algerian origin. His parents, Hafid and Wahida, raised nine children in the poor and troubled suburb of Bron. It was here that Benzema began playing for local club Bron Terralion.
Benzema's exceptional performance within the team caught the attention of scouts and a year later he received an invitation to join the professional ranks. He enrolled at the Saint-Louis Saint-Bruno college, which was part of the famous Lyon football academy. While his discipline on the field was exemplary, the same cannot be said of his academic results. The early biography of the striker is not defined solely by his sports training and early successes. Growing up in the ghetto also allowed Benzema to meet loyal companions, with whom he still maintains friendships. Among his close friends is Karim Zenatti, who often drags Benzema into dubious adventures.
At the age of 17, Karim joined Lyon's reserve team, where he quickly became their main striker. He soon became a regular in the club's first team. In January 2005, he made his debut in the French league. After a successful debut for the national team in the 2006/2007 season, Benzema became indispensable to Lyon, scoring 11 goals in 11 matches. His brilliant performances attracted the attention of Europe's top clubs, but Benzema stated that he planned to win the UEFA Champions League with his hometown club. In 2009, Lyon could not resist a €35 million offer from Real Madrid for Benzema. His salary is €5 million per year, with 10% of the transfer fee going to his agent and friend Karim Djaziri. In 2010, while playing for Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, Benzema scored the club's 300th goal in the tournament. Although his performances in the Dream Team were not always consistent and productive, head coach Zinedine Zidane stated that he had no intention of parting ways with the player.
In the 2016/2017 season, Benzema scored an average of every 170 minutes. As a member of Real Madrid, he achieved his dream of winning the UEFA Champions League three times. Benzema became the second player in history, after Lionel Messi, to score in 13 consecutive Champions League campaigns. In the 2016/2017 season, he made 48 appearances in all competitions, scoring 19 goals and providing 9 assists. In the fall of 2017, Karim Benzema extends his contract with Real Madrid. According to France Football, the Frenchman's release clause has reached €1 billion under the new deal. In January 2019, during a match against Sevilla, Benzema was injured after a collision with Marc Bartra. After an unsuccessful fall, Benzema broke the finger on his right hand. According to reports, the injury could have been corrected with surgery, but the player was worried about the recovery time. Dedicated to the game, the forward decided not to have surgery and instead used a splint to immobilize his hand. Nevertheless, in the 2019/2020 La Liga season, the player showed good statistics. He started the tournament with a goal for Real Madrid. In February 2020, Benzema extended his contract with the club until 2022 and in March, he appeared in his 500th match for the team.
Karim has excelled in his club career. As of the summer of 2021, according to Transfermarkt, his market value was €25 million. The match against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League round of 500 was one of the most significant in Benzema's career. There were several reasons for this. First, it was his 17th appearance in the Madrid club's starting XI, making him the second foreign player in Real Madrid's history to reach this milestone. Second, the forward secured his team's victory by scoring a hat-trick in the 45th minute of the second half. This puts him in third place on Real Madrid's all-time top scorers list and second place in terms of goals scored for the club in the Champions League. In addition, he became the oldest player in the Champions League to score three goals, surpassing Olivier Giroud's previous record. In an interview, Benzema could not hide his joy after this phenomenal victory, especially since Paris Saint-Germain was leading after the first XNUMX minutes. It is worth noting that Kylian Mbappé scored a goal against Real Madrid. However, Benzema managed to turn the situation around and prove that Real Madrid was still alive. In May, Real Madrid reached the Champions League final. In the decisive match against Manchester City, Benzema scored one of the goals. After the match, he expressed his pride in his team on social networks. In the fall, the footballer received the Ballon d'Or.
In 2004, Karim joined the French national team and won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the Under-18 Championship. In 2005, he also triumphed in the Meridian Cup with the national team. In the 2006/2007 season, Benzema made his debut for the senior French national team. He held a prominent position in the national team for a while. In 2008, he unsuccessfully participated in the European Championship for the French national team. The team was eliminated early from the tournament and Benzema failed to score a single goal. However, overall, Karim has had several successful performances in international competitions. But in 2015, he was suspended from the national team due to another scandal involving Benzema's attempt to help his friends.
Benzema's talent, experience, and dedication influenced the decision to bring him back to the national team. While the striker's fate was to be decided in the court proceedings in October, on 23 June 2021, Karim played for the national team for the first time in six years. In a Euro 2020 match against Portugal, he scored twice to equalize the score. Cristiano Ronaldo also scored twice against the French team. In November, Karim was selected for the French squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, a few days before the start, he announced a thigh injury, casting doubt on his participation in the games. France stated that the striker would have to miss the World Cup, but Didier Deschamps kept the list unchanged and Benzema's name remained on it. The player never set foot on the pitch and the French team lost to Argentina in the final, becoming silver medalists at the 2022 World Cup.
In his youth, Benzema changed girlfriends like gloves. At first glance at the footballer's chosen ones, it is clear that Karim's ideal type is fit and exotic beauties. Even the singer Rihanna became one of those who could not resist the handsome athlete (height - 185 cm, weight - 81 kg). For a while, Benzema was in a relationship with a certain Chloe de Laune, who gave birth to their daughter, Melia. It is difficult to say what kind of relationship Karim has with the girl's mother, but judging by the photos he posts on his Instagram account (the social network is banned in Russia, as it belongs to Meta, which is considered extremist in Russia), the striker regularly spends time with his daughter.
But then a French model named Cora Gautier entered the athlete's life. The charming Martinican woman led the troublemaker to the altar. Journalists note that Benzema's relationship with Cora had a positive impact on his character. In May 2017, his legal wife gave birth to their son, Ibrahim. The family lived in a luxurious house in the elite La Finca neighborhood of Madrid. Despite the arrival of the child, Cora continued her modeling career, supporting her husband, sincerely believing in his success. In August 2022, their marriage fell apart. According to media reports, the reason for the divorce was the athlete's infidelity. The name of the other woman was revealed: it is the American model Jordan Ozuna.
The 2022/2023 season marked notable achievements for Karim Benzema as he became the second highest scorer in the Spanish league. However, in June, it was announced that the striker would not renew his contract with the club. In his last match for Real Madrid against Athletic Bilbao, he managed to score a penalty. After becoming a free agent, Karim signed a new contract and became a member of Saudi Arabian team, Al-Ittihad. His farewell to the Madrid club was emotional, with teammates gathered at a press conference and club president Florentino Perez giving a heartfelt speech of gratitude.
Karim described his move to Al-Ittihad as a personal challenge and expressed confidence in his ability to earn the love of the country's fans. Amid Hamas' attack on Israel in October, Karim expressed his support for Palestine, which drew widespread criticism. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin specifically spoke out and accused the footballer of having ties to the Islamist organization "Muslim Brotherhood" (a movement banned in Russia as a terrorist group). Benzema then filed a lawsuit against the official, but the case was dismissed. In late December, the athlete temporarily left Saudi Arabia, missing several training sessions with Al-Ittihad. In early 2024, Karim was then excluded from the team's training camp in Dubai.