Contents
Karim Benzema
Winning the 2022 Ballon d’Or after spearheading Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph.
Real Madrid · France
- Born
- 19 December 1987
- Birthplace
- Lyon, France
More people
Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema is a French striker whose game combines goalscoring with creating chances for teammates. He emerged at Lyon before spending fourteen seasons at Real Madrid, where he won five Champions League titles. His later club career took him to Saudi Arabia.
Early life
Growing up in Bron
Grew up in Bron Terraillon, a suburb of Lyon, in a family with Algerian roots.
Lyon’s academy
Joined Lyon as a child, scored prolifically in its youth teams and helped France win the 2004 European Under-17 Championship.
Career
- 2005–2009
Lyon first team
Progressed from Lyon’s academy into senior football, becoming a leading forward before moving to Spain.
- 2009–2018
Building a Madrid partnership
Joined Real Madrid and developed an attacking partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo, combining finishing with the movement and passing that helped others score.
- 2018–2023
Leading the attack
Took on greater goalscoring responsibility after Ronaldo left. Finished his Madrid career with 354 goals in 648 appearances.
- 2023–2026
Saudi club football
Joined Al-Ittihad in 2023 and helped win the 2024/25 league and King’s Cup double, then moved to Al-Hilal in February 2026.
- August 2026
Al-Hilal departure
Ended his Al-Hilal contract by mutual agreement on 31 August 2026.
Achievements
Nations League winner
Scored France’s equaliser against Spain in the final, helping turn a deficit into a 2–1 victory.
Champions League top scorer
Scored 15 goals as Real Madrid won the competition and was named its Player of the Season.
Ballon d’Or
Won football’s leading individual award after a season in which he topped both the Champions League and La Liga scoring charts.
Beyond football
Childhood influences
Named Ronaldo Nazário as a childhood inspiration. At Madrid he also sought advice from Zinedine Zidane, another player he admired.
Blackmail conviction
Received a suspended one-year prison sentence in 2021 for complicity in an attempt to blackmail Mathieu Valbuena. He dropped his appeal in 2022 while continuing to deny wrongdoing.
Sources & photo credit
Real Madrid — biography, birth date and honours ↗UEFA — early life and Lyon development ↗UEFA — 2021/22 Player of the Season ↗UEFA — 2021 Nations League final ↗Saudi Pro League — February 2026 transfer ↗Al-Hilal — 31 August 2026 departure ↗UEFA — Benzema on his influences ↗DW — conviction and withdrawal of appeal ↗Wikipedia — Karim Benzema ↗Photo: Антон Зайцев (Anton Zaytsev) / soccer.ru. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
