Karim Benzema is a French professional football striker who currently heads the Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. He is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time and Real Madrid’s all-time second-highest goalscorer. Despite some issues over his long career, he remains unquestionably one of the best football players of his period.
He joined the Lyon-based French football team ‘Olympique Lyonnais,’ often known as ‘Lyon,’ at the age of nine. He made his professional debut in the 2004-2005 season and rose to fame in the 2007-2008 season, being the season’s top scorer, with almost 30 goals, as ‘Lyon’ won their eighth consecutive league title. He was selected the ‘Ligue 1 Player of the Year’ and named to the ‘Team of the Year’ by the ‘National Union of Professional Footballers’ (UNFP). He signed a six-year contract with ‘Real Madrid’ in 2009 and has since won the ‘Copa del Rey’ and ‘La Liga.’ He earned the ‘French Player of the Year’ award four times.
Additionally, in both 2021 and 2022, he clinched the titles of UEFA Player of the Year and the prestigious Ballon d’Or. His Ballon d’Or wins make him the fifth French player in history to achieve this esteemed accolade.
Biography:
Born: December 19, 1987 in Lyon, France.
Nicknames: Benzegoal, KB9
Height: 6’1½″ (1.87 m).
Early Life:
He was born on December 19, 1987, in Lyon, France, to Hafid Benzema and Wahida Djebbara, both French nationals of Algerian origin. He grew up in a small house in Bron and lived a simple life with his eight siblings.
He began his football career at the age of eight, joining the local football team ‘Bron Terraillon SC.’ His younger brothers, Sabri and Gressy, also became players. Benzema drew the attention of ‘Lyon’ officials after scoring twice against the club’s youth academy in a ‘Under-10’ meet. He finally joined ‘Lyon’ in 1996.
Personal Life:
Karim Benzema was romantically linked to Manon Marsault from 2010 to 2013, with whom he had a daughter named Mélia, who was born on February 3, 2014.
Karim is now married to Cora Gauthier, a well-known Martinican businesswoman, fashion blogger, Instagram Influencer, and French model. They met in Dubai in December 2015 and started dating. Cora then moved to Madrid with Benzema, becoming a significant figure in his personal life.
Although Cora Gauthier’s personal life is not publicly revealed, her first kid, Ibrahim Benzema, was born on May 5, 2017. Mélia, Benzema’s former partner’s kid, considers Cora to be her stepmother. Cora, Karim, and their family are now living a great life together.
Net Worth:
Karim Benzema has a net worth of $200 million. Karim Benzema, one of the most prolific attackers to ever wear a Real Madrid jersey, is a well-known personality among fans of “Los Blancos.” Karim showed not only a natural talent for scoring goals, but also exceptional vision and playmaking abilities over the years. He is perhaps most renowned for his link-up play with other strikers, establishing good partnerships with players like Cristiano Ronaldo.
Karim Benzema signed a two-year contract with Saudi Pro League team Al-Ittihad in June 2023 for $436 million. It is one of the richest contracts in sports history, with an average annual salary of $214,534,727. This transfer was a huge shift from his illustrious 14-year tenure at Real Madrid.
Awards:
- Ligue 1 (2004–05), (2005–06), (2006–07), (2007–08)
- Coupe de France (2007–08)
- Trophée des Champions (2006), (2007)
- La Liga (2011–12), (2016–17), (2019–20), (2021–22)
- Copa del Rey (2010–11), (2013–14), (2022–23)
- Supercopa de España (2012), (2017), (2019–20), (2021–22)
- UEFA Champions League (2013–14), (2015–16), (2016–17), (2017–18), (2021–22)
- UEFA Super Cup (2014), (2016), (2017), (2022)
- FIFA Club World Cup (2014), (2016), (2017), (2018), (2022)
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship (2004)
- UEFA Nations League (2020–21)
- FIFA World Cup runner-up (2022)
- Ballon d’Or (2022)
- UEFA Men’s Player of the Year (2021–22)
- French Player of the Year (2011), (2012), (2014), (2021)
- UEFA Champions League Player of the Season (2021–22)
- UEFA Champions League top goalscorer (2021–22)
- La Liga Player of the Season (2019–20), (2021–22)
- La Liga Best Player (voted by Marca fans) (2019–20), (2020–21), (2021–22)
- Globe Soccer Awards Men’s Player of the Year (2022)