Karim Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French football player who currently plays as a striker for the La Liga club Real Madrid and internationally represents the French national team.
Benzema came through the youth academy at Lyon and has been capped at senior level for France. He played in UEFA Euro 2008 and was the top goalscorer in Ligue 1 for the 2007–08 season, just three seasons after making his professional debut. This was also his breakthrough season which saw him earn many awards and a new contract which resulted in him becoming one of the highest-paid footballers in France. He signed for Real Madrid in July 2009, on a six year contract.
Personal life
Benzema was born in Lyon, to parents of Algerian descent.Benzema grew up with nine siblings and his father Hafid in the nearby town of Bron. His grandfather, Da Lakehal Benzema, lived in the village of Tighzert, located in the northern town of Beni Djellil in Algeria before migrating to Lyon, where he eventually settled in the 1950s.
On 18 April 2010, it was first reported by French television service M6 that four members of the French national team were being investigated for their roles as clients of a prostitution ring that was being operated inside of a Paris nightclub with some of the women possibly being underage. The report also stated that two of the players were already questioned as witnesses by judge André Dando and a group of magistrates. The report described the two players as being one who “is a major player in a big foreign club” and that the other “plays in the championship of France Ligue 1".Later that day, the players were discovered to be Franck Ribéry and Sidney Govou.The other two players were later discovered to be Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa. Benzema was alleged to have had a sexual rendezvous with a prostitute when she was 16 years of age, an act Benzema has denied through his lawyer. On 29 April, the country's Secretary of State for Sports Rama Yade, after refusing to publicly comment on the case in its infancy, declared that any player placed under investigation should not represent the France national team. The following day, a judicial source confirmed that Benzema would not be questioned, if at all, before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. On 20 July, Benzema was questioned by Paris police and, following questioning, was indicted by judge Dando on the charge of "solicitation of a minor prostitute"
HonoursClub
Lyon
* Ligue 1 (4): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
* Trophée Des Champions (2): 2006, 2007
* Coupe de France (1): 2007-08
* Peace Cup (1): 2007
Country
France U17
* UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship (1): 2004
Individual
* Bravo Award (1): 2008
* Ligue 1 Top Goalscorer (1): 2007–08
* UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year (1): 2007–08
* UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year (1): 2007–08
Personal information
Full name: Karim Benzema
Date of birth: 19 December 1987 (1987-12-19) (age 23)
Place of birth: Lyon, France
Height: 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position: Striker
Club information
Current club: Real Madrid
Number: 9
Youth career
1995–1996 SC Bron Terraillon
1996–2004 Lyon
Senior career*
2004–2009 Lyon 112 (43)
2009– Real Madrid 48 (11)
National team‡
2004 France U17 2 (1)
2004–2005 France U18 16 (14)
2005–2006 France U19 8 (4)
2006–2007 France U21 5 (0)
2007– France 33 (12)
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