Career
After joining Lyon, he was made part of the academy of the club, where he soon climbed up the youth categories. The French domestic league ‘Championnat National des 16 ans,’ for footballers below the age of 16, saw him scoring 38 goals.
He was elevated to the reserve team of the club that participated in the football league competition ‘Championnat de France Amateur,’ prior to the 2004–2005 season of the ‘Ligue 1.’
He made his professional debut on January 15, 2005, against ‘FC Metz.’ ‘Lyon’ won the match 2–0. Thereafter, Benzzema signed a three-year professional contract. The club earned its fourth successive league title that season.
He made his ‘UEFA Champions League’ debut on December 6, 2005, in the final group-stage match of ‘Lyon,’ against the Norwegian club ‘Rosenborg,’ which the club won 2–1. The match marked the first professional goal scored by Benzema.
He scored his first professional double in January 2006, when ‘Lyon’ won 4–0 against ‘Grenoble’ in the ‘Coupe de France.’ On March 4, the same year, he garnered his first professional league goal of his career, playing against ‘Ajaccio.’
He played as the lead striker during the 2007–2008 season. He scored 20 goals and topped the league, a feat that fetched him the ‘Trophée du Meilleur Buteur’ award. He netted a goal in the ‘Coupe de la Ligue,’ scored four goals in the ‘Champions League,’ and made six goals in six ‘Coupe de France’ matches, aiding ‘Lyon’ in earning the first double in the history of the club. He also delivered a hat-trick that season, on September 15, against ‘Metz.’
He had a contract extension with ‘Lyon’ on March 13, 2008, which meant he would be retained till 2013, with an option for an extension of another year. That season, the ‘UNFP’ named him the ‘Ligue 1 Player of the Year’ and enlisted him in the ‘Team of the Year.’ He also received the ‘Bravo Award’ from the Italian magazine ‘Guerin Sportivo’ in 2008.
On July 9, 2009, he signed a six-year contract with the Spanish professional football club ‘Real Madrid.’ His debut with the club was on its opening pre-season friendly match with the Irish club ‘Shamrock Rovers’ in Dublin, on July 20 that year. He scored his first goal for the club in the same match and led them to a 1–0 win.
An annual friendly tournament organized for the ‘Santiago Bernabeu Trophy’ saw him scoring two goals against the Norwegian club ‘Rosenborg’ on August 24, 2009, when ‘Real Madrid’ clinched a 4-0 win.
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On August 29, 2009, he made his league debut, playing against ‘Deportivo La Coruña.’ He netted his first league goal for ‘Real Madrid’ in September 2009, and the club won 5-0 over ‘Xerez.’ He made his ‘Champions League’ debut for ‘Real Madrid’ on September 30 that year.
His first hat-trick for the club was during the 2010–2011 season, in a match against ‘Auxerre.’ ‘Real Madrid’ garnered a 4–0 victory in the same match. The first of his three goals marked the 300th goal of ‘Real Madrid’ in the ‘Champions League’ era. He scored his second hat-trick for the club in a ‘Copa del Rey’ match against ‘Levante,’ which‘Real Madrid’ won 8–0.
He was part of the ‘Real Madrid’ squad that scored a 1–0 win against ‘Barcelona’ in the ‘Copa del Rey’ finals, on April 20, 2011, at the ‘Mestalla Stadium.’ On December 10, 2011, he scored the fastest goal in an ‘El Clásico’ in just 21 seconds of the match. On December 13 that year, he was named the ‘French Player of the Year’ by ‘France Football,’ an honor he earned again in 2012 and 2014.
He won his second ‘Copa del Rey’ with ‘Real Madrid,’ when the club scored a 2–1 victory over ‘Barcelona’ on April 16, 2014, at ‘Mestalla’ in Valencia.
A new five-year deal between Benzema and ‘Real Madrid’ was confirmed by the club on August 6, 2014. The deal stated that Benzema would be with the club till 2019. In October that year, he was named the ‘La Liga Player of the Month.’
He signed a contract extension with the club on September 20, 2017, which meant he would be retained till 2021.
Benzema’s stint with ‘Real Madrid’ has been eventful so far. He was part of the club’s squad that became the champion of ‘La Liga’ during the 2011–2012 and the 2016–2017 seasons. He won the ‘Supercopa de España’ with the club, in 2012 and 2017. Benzema was also part of the club squad that won the ‘UEFA Champions League’ in the 2013–2014, the 2015–2016, and the 2016–2017 seasons. Benzema won both the ‘UEFA Super Cup’ and the ‘FIFA Club World Cup’ with the club, in 2014, 2016, and 2017.
His international career saw him representing France from a young age, starting from the ‘Under-17’ level. He was part of the ‘Under-17’ team that won the 2004 ‘UEFA European Under-17 Championship,’ defeating Spain 2–1, on May 15, 2004.
He made his senior international debut on March 28, 2007, and represented France in the ‘UEFA European Football Championship’ in 2008 and 2012. He was also part of the French squad that participated in the 2014 ‘FIFA World Cup.’ He has garnered over 80 caps so far. However, he was not included in the squads for the 2010 ‘FIFA World Cup’ and 2016 ‘UEFA European Championship.’
Personal Life
He was romantically associated with Manon Marsault from 2010 to 2013.
He has two children: daughter Mélia, born on February 3, 2014, and son Ibrahim, born on May 5, 2017.
He is a practicing Muslim who fasts during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
He fell on the wrong side of law twice. He was charged for "solicitation of a minor prostitute," an incident that was first reported by French TV channel ‘M6’ on April 18, 2010. The case is under trial. In another incident, the French police arrested him on November 4, 2015, for blackmailing French international footballer Mathieu Valbuena.
