Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for the La Liga club Real Madrid and the France national team. A creative and prolific forward known for his playmaking and finishing, he is regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation. Only a few players in top-tier European football can match Karim Benzema’s consistency and longevity. The prolific Madrid Star has been on the team roster since 2009. Let’s look at some unknown facts about the French International Karim Benzema.
Scored the fastest goal in El Clásico History:
El Clásico is arguably one of the greatest matchups between rivals. The historic fixture has seen goals from the left, right, and centre. Karim has a unique record of scoring the fastest goal in the history of the coveted fixture. He took just 22 seconds to score in the December 2011 La Liga El Clásico. Real Madrid went on to win La Liga this season.
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One of the 5 All-time Champions League Goalscorers:
When you think of the Champions League, CR7 pops up, but Benzema has also made his mark in the premier competition. He may not be on top of the list, but the talisman striker has 76 goals in 136 appearances. He scored 12 for his boyhood club Lyon and flourished after joining Los Blanco, scoring 64 goals. Furthermore, he is only behind greats like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Robert Lewandowski.
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He could have played for Algeria
Born in Lyon, France of Algerian Descent, Karim Mostafa Benzema was eligible to play for the Algerian national team. AFF ( Algerian Football Federation) also tried to convince him to join the Algerian national football team when he was at the peak of his career. But he played for France and recently won the UEFA nations league with Les Bleues.
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The All-time French Top scorer in La Liga
Karim overtook his idol Zinedine Zidane to become the All-time leading French goalscorer in La Liga. He did so in March 2012 after scoring a brace against Real Sociedad. Since then, he has been an asset to Los Blancos, scoring 210 goals in 405 appearances. He also won 4 Champions League and 3 La Liga titles along with other honors.
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A Film was made about his Life
In 2017, a film was released titled “Le K Benzema” which showed him rising through the ranks of Lyon to become a Real Madrid Galactico. It featured interviews with his family, friends, teammates, and support staff. It also showcased his close relationship with his idol and French legend Zidane.
Served as a ballboy when he was a youngster
Karim started his football career when he was just 8 years old. He eventually got scouted by Lyon’s youth academy after scoring against them in a U-10 match. As a youngster also, he was a massive success and rose through the academy ranks. Karim served as a ball boy at Lyon’s senior team matches.
8 siblings in the family
Karim has quite a Big Family. He is the third-youngest out of 8 siblings, 3 brothers, and 5 sisters. His 2 younger brothers, Gressy and Sabri have also followed in their brother’s footsteps to become professional footballers.
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Won the U 17 European Championship with France
Even before Karim became a star striker, he was already winning titles. He was part of the maiden French U17 Euro cup championship-winning squad in 2004. The French side beat Spain in the final on home soil to take the crown.
Joined a clinic to lose weight
When Karim joined Real Madrid as a Galactico in 2009, some criticized him for not living up to the expectations. With the advice of french legends Laurent Blanc and Zinedine Zidane, Karim joined a weight loss clinic in Italy to work on his fitness. The trick worked, and Benzema rose from the ashes to become a club legend.
Benzema's net worth
It is well known that Europe’s elite athletes tend to earn a staggering number of wages. He earns a whopping weekly wage of £274,000, which makes his per annum salary at £14 million. Along with this Benzema is known to be a fashion icon and has sponsorship deals with prominent brands which makes his total net worth around £55 million.
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