Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer. He plays as a striker for Spanish club Real Madrid and the France national team. He has won the Champions League four times, all with Real Madrid: in 2014 and three times consecutively from 2016 to 2018. Benzema has been named French Player of the Year three times for his performances in 2011, 2012 and 2014.
About Karim Benzema in brief
Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer. He plays as a striker for Spanish club Real Madrid and the France national team. He has won the Champions League four times, all with Real Madrid: in 2014 and three times consecutively from 2016 to 2018. Benzema has been named French Player of the Year three times for his performances in 2011, 2012 and 2014. He is a former French youth international and has represented his nation from under-17 level onwards. He made his senior international debut in March 2007 in a friendly match against Austria, scoring in a 1–0 win. He also represented France at three major international tournaments: the 2008 and 2012 editions of the UEFA European Championship and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In July 2009, Benzema moved to Real Madrid in a transfer fee worth over €35 million, and signed a six-year contract. He was named the National Union of Professional Footballers Ligue 1 Player of The Year for the 2007–08 season. In 2011, he helped Real Madrid win the Copa del Rey in 2011 and the 2011–12 edition of La Liga. In 2014, he was named French player of the year for the third time in his career, following his performances at the 2014 World Cup and the 2012 European Champions League. He won the Ballon d’Or in 2014 for his performance at the World Cup in Brazil. In 2015, he won the Golden Boot for the best goalscorer in the French La Liga season, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
In the same year, he also won the Pichichi award for best player in the La Liga top flight. In 2016, he became the first French player to win the Golden Shoe award for the top scorer in La Liga and the French Ligue One top division. In his first season at Real Madrid, he scored 32 goals, helping the club win the 2011-12 La Liga title and the 2013-14 Champions League title. In January 2013, he signed a five-year deal with the Spanish club. In August 2013, Benzemma signed a three-year extension to his Real Madrid contract. In April 2014, Benzemsa signed a two-and-a-half year deal with Spanish club Atletico Madrid for a reported fee of over €30 million. In May 2015, the French club announced that Benzema had signed a contract extension with the club until 2018. In November 2015, Benzemaker signed a four-year-deal with Spanish side Atletico. In March 2016, the club announced he would leave Real Madrid at the end of the 2015-16 season. The striker has been called up to the French national team for the first time under manager Paul Le Guen during the second half of the season. He scored over 30 goals in the 2007-08 season as Lyon won its seventh straight league title. He played on the under-16 team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. In December 2005, he made his professional debut against Metz.
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