Karim Benzema
Updated: Wikipedia source
Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. Regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time, Benzema is a creative forward known for his technical skills, vision and versatility on the field. He won 25 trophies with Real Madrid, including four La Liga, three Copa del Rey, and five UEFA Champions League titles. He has scored over 500 career goals for club and country, and is Real Madrid's second-highest goalscorer after Cristiano Ronaldo and third-highest assist provider after Míchel and Paco Gento. In the Champions League, he is both the all-time French top goalscorer (90) and assist provider (29). Born in Lyon to parents of Algerian descent, Benzema began his career with hometown club Lyon in 2005, contributing sporadically to three Ligue 1 title wins. In 2008, he was named the league's Player of the Year and in the Team of the Year having finished as the league's top goalscorer and winning his fourth league title and first Coupe de France. In 2009, Benzema was the subject of a then-French record football transfer when he joined Real Madrid in a deal worth €35 million. After struggling to establish himself in his debut season, he eventually achieved a consistent goalscoring rate with the club, notably being part of a highly rated trio alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale – dubbed "BBC" – who were integral to four Champions League wins between 2014 and 2018. Following Ronaldo's departure in 2018, Benzema transitioned from the false 9 position into a sole striker. He was named in the La Liga Team of the Season for five consecutive years from 2018 to 2023, won La Liga Best Player twice and the Pichichi Trophy for the first time in 2022. Benzema finished as Champions League top scorer as he won his fifth title in 2022, and subsequently captained the club in his final season before signing for Al-Ittihad the following year. As captain, he led the club to win the 2024–25 Saudi Pro League. A French international, Benzema won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and made his senior debut for France in 2007, at age 19. After appearing at UEFA Euro 2008, Benzema was controversially left out of the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup; following his return for Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup, he did not play for France for over five years after being implicated in a blackmailing scandal in 2015. He later returned to the squad for Euro 2020, where he won the Bronze Boot. Benzema was also a part of the French squad that finished as runners-up at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, he did not play at the tournament due to an injury, though he did receive a medal. He announced his international retirement in December 2022 following the World Cup. Overall, Benzema earned 97 caps and scored 37 goals, ranking as France's sixth-highest all-time top goalscorer, and was named French Player of the Year by France Football four times. For his performances in 2021 and 2022, Benzema was awarded the UEFA Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or, becoming the fifth French player to have won the Ballon d'Or. One of the highest-paid footballers in the world, he made Forbes's list of the world's highest-paid athletes in 2024.