Karim Benzema Height, Age, Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Karim Benzema

• Karim Benzema’s grandfather, Da Lakehal Benzema, migrated from the village of Tigzirt, Aït Djellil in Algeria to Lyon, France in 1950.

• His father, Hafid, was also born in Tigzirt, Algeria whereas his mother Wahida Djebbara was born and raised in Lyon.

• He grew up in the Terraillon area of Bron, a suburb in Lyon, France which has higher crime rates than other areas and is home to many immigrant families.
  

  Karim Benzema’s childhood home

• He liked playing football since childhood and often roamed the streets with a football in his hand. At the age of 8, he joined the local club SC Bron Terraillon Perle.
  

  Karim Benzema during his childhood

• In an under-10 match for Bron Terraillon against Lyon Youth Academy, he scored two goals which helped his team defeat Lyon’s team.
  

  A childhood photo of Karim Benzema (right)

• After the match, Lyon officials were so impressed with his performance that they visited his home and signed him up after a discussion with his father.

• He was chubby when he joined Lyon Academy which affected his confidence. He was a shy, reserved kid and stayed away from the limelight.
  

  Karim Benzema during his early years in Lyon

• When he was 15, he was shifted to Tola Vologe, a boarding house for their academy players.

• He first showed signs of being a hard worker when he was 16 years old. He worked hard in the gym and often boxed in the gym during the off-season which impressed his coaches.

• Benzema later worked as a ballboy during senior matches at Lyon. He scored 38 goals in the Championnat National des 16 ans, the Under-16 French domestic league.

• He was the highest goalscorer for the Lyon reserve team during the 2004-2005 season of the fourth division of French football, the Championnat de France amateur.
  

  Karim Benzema playing for Lyon’s reserve team

• Benzema was a member of the French team which won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.
  

  Karim Benzema (left) after winning the 2004 Under-17 European Championship

• In 2004, he was included in the Lyon senior team with many famous players including Michael Essien, Sylvain Wiltord, Florent Malouda and Eric Abidal.
  

  Karim Benzema with Eric Abidal (left)

• He was often made fun of during his initial training alongside the senior team. He once got angry with a joke and said that no one should laugh at him as he was there to take their place.

• In January 2005, he signed a 3-year deal with Lyon, his first professional contract.
  

  Karim Benzema playing for Lyon during a soccer match

• He played for France’s Under-18 team which won the 2005 Meridian Cup.

• His first professional goal came in his debut UEFA Champions League match for Lyon against Norwegian club Rosenborg on 6 December 2005.

• Benzema represented France in many age-group tournaments including the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2006 and 2007.

• In December 2006, then-Algerian Football Federation (FAF) President Hamid Haddadj and then-national team coach Jean-Michel Cavalli requested him to play for Algeria in international football but he refused the offer.

• In 2007, it was rumoured that Manchester United’s legendary manager, Alex Ferguson, wanted to sign him up but Benzema turned down the offer as he wanted to play for Real Madrid.

• On 13 March 2008, Benzema extended his contract with Lyon until 2013 with a one-year extension option.

• He was the highest goalscorer in the 2007-2008 Ligue 1 for which he was given the Trophée du Meilleur Buteur.

• In April 2008, then-Barcelona recruitment head, Txiki Begiristain, wanted to sign him up for Barcelona FC at a fee of 30 million pounds; however, after a visit to Benzema’s neighbourhood, they withdrew the offer.

• In 2008, he formed a company named Best of Benzema which protects his image rights.

• Benzema helped Lyon win 4 seasons (2004–2005, 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007–2008) of Ligue 1 and 2007-2008 season of Coupe de France.
  

  Karim Benzema after winning a trophy for Lyon

• On 9 July 2009, Real Madrid’s billionaire president, Florentino Perez, signed him for 6 years at an initial fee of €35 million.
  

  Karim Benzema after signing up with Real Madrid in 2009

• On 20 July 2009, he made his Real Madrid debut against the Irish club Shamrock Rovers in a friendly match.

• Benzema did not know the Spanish language when he joined Real Madrid due to which he often had difficulties talking to the coaches or public.

• Before the 2010-2011 season, Jose Mourinho joined Real Madrid as the new manager and criticised Benzema for not working hard enough to keep his permanent place in the team.
  

  Karim Benzema with then-Real Madrid Manager, Jose Mourinho (right)

• He completed his 100 professional goals in March 2011 by hitting a goal against Lyon in a Champions League group stage match.
  

  Karim Benzema playing for Real Madrid

• In August 2011, he underwent treatment at a high-performance clinic in Merano, Italy and reduced 8 kgs (18 pounds) along with gaining muscle mass.

• On 10 December 2011, he scored the fastest goal in an El Clasico (Real Madrid vs Barcelona) match by netting after 21 seconds.

• In 2013, he became famous for being a part of the trio of BBC, the other two being Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
  

  The trio of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Gareth Bale (left to right) nicknamed BBC

• On 6 August 2014, he signed a 5-year deal with Real Madrid till 2019.
  

  Karim Benzema after signing a contract extension with Real Madrid till 2019

• He played for France in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2020. He did not play for France from 2015 to 2020 because of his involvement in various legal issues.
  

  Karim Benzema playing for France in the 2014 FIFA World Cup

• In 2014, the French police arrested a person named Ali Bouchareb who had many photographs with Benzema and many autographed shoes at his house.

• In 2015, the French police arrested an individual named Daryan or Rayan who was accused of trafficking 700 kg of cocaine. Two men named Frank Colin and Nicolas Pisapia were arrested for organising flights between  France, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.

• This controversy became famous as the ‘Air Cocaine Scandal.’ There were rumours that Benzema was a member of the cocaine smuggling group; however, his agent, Karim Djaziri, claimed that anyone could pose as a fan and have photos with Benzema.

• In 2017, a TV film ‘Le K Benzema’  was released which showed different versions of Benzema’s life as a celebrity soccer player.
  

  Poster of Le K Benzema, a film based on Benzema’s life

• On 7 November 2018, Benzema became the 7th footballer to score 200 goals for Real Madrid by hitting a brace (2 goals) in the 5–0 win against Viktoria Plzeň in the UEFA Champions League group stage match.

• In February 2020, Benzema extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2023.
  

  Karim Benzema after extending his contract with Real Madrid till 2023

• On 1 March 2020, he became the 14th player to play 500 matches for Real Madrid in all competitions.
  

  Karim Benzema with Florentino Pérez (left) after playing 500 matches for Real Madrid

• He was a member of the French team which won the 2021 UEFA Nations League Tournament.
  

  Karim Benzema with the 2021 UEFA Nations League Trophy

• On 3 June 2022, he scored his last international goal for France against Denmark, finishing his international career as the 6th highest goalscorer for France with 37 goals in 97 matches.
  

  Karim Benzema’s tweet to announce his international retirement

• On 10 August 2022, Benzema became Real Madrid’s all-time second-highest goalscorer (behind Cristiano Ronaldo who has 450 goals) by hitting 324 goals in 610 matches.
  

  Karim Benzema with Florentino Pérez (left) after scoring 324 goals for Real Madrid

• He became the captain of the Real Madrid before the 2022-2023 La Liga season.

• Benzema won more than 25 trophies during his career with Real Madrid which includes 4 seasons of La Liga (2011–2012, 2016–2017, 2019–2020, 2021–2022), 5 UEFA Champions League (2013–2014, 2015–2016, 2016–2017, 2017–2018, and 2021–2022), and 5 FIFA Club World Cups (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022).
  

  Karim Benzema with FIFA Club World Cup Trophy

• In June 2023, he joined the Saudi Professional League (SPL) club Al-Ittihad which offered him a 2-year deal for $400 million.
  

  Karim Benzema after joining Al-Ittihad

• He reportedly got in a fight with Al-Ittihad’s manager Marcelo Gallardo in 2024 and did not play in many games for the club.
  

  Karim Benzema with Al-Ittihad’s manager, Marcelo Gallardo (right)

• Benzema has been in the news several times for his bad relationship with the French Football Federation (FFF) president, Noël Le Graët and once asked Graët to leave him alone.

• His playing style includes linking with midfielders and using his strength and technical ability to hold up the ball to provide assists for teammates. He also has good penalty kick and dribbling skills.
  

  Karim Benzema (in white) attempting a header

• He is known for his finishing and playmaking skills and is regarded as a creative, skilful, quick, and agile forward, who is good with the ball in the air and off the shoulders.

• Despite his dominant foot being his right foot, he has shown his talent with his left foot as well and scored with headers on many occasions.

• He is an animal lover and likes exotic animals such as elephants and tigers.
  

  Karim Benzema with an elephant

• He likes driving fast and has been involved in a few accidents including an accident with a Lamborghini Gallardo and one with an Audi car.

• Benzema likes to party at L’Imprevu, a nightclub 30 kilometres outside Lyon where he has a year-round reserved parking spot.

• He is known for being a practising Muslim, does not drink alcohol, and does not eat pork. He also fasts during Ramadan and also keeps a beard per Islamic traditions.
  

  Karim Benzema in traditional Islamic dress

• Benzema still keeps his childhood friends with him including his best friend Karim Zenati who has been arrested multiple times on the charges of drug smuggling.
  

  Karim Benzema with his best friend, Karim Zenati (left)

• His agent, Karim Djaziri, has often said that Benzema does not always listen to him and lives his life as per his own beliefs. Djaziri also oversees BK2 Consulting, a sports management and media company with a turnover of around €4.5 million a year.
  

  Karim Benzema with his agent, Karim Djaziri (left)

• Yassine Hannachi, his image consultant, looks after his social media accounts, and there have been rumours of a rivalry between Hannachi and Djaziri.

• He has also been an ambassador of the American video game publisher Electronic Arts for the FIFA video games.
  

  Karim Benzema’s character in FIFA video game

• He has also served as the Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF to promote education and health for children worldwide.

• His friend, Javier Atalaya, is also his trainer and trains him at his gym, Body Extreme in Madrid at 30C (86F).
  

  Karim Benzema with his personal trainer, Javier Atalaya (right)

• Benzema works out in an electrostimulation body suit that causes muscle contractions. 30 minutes of workout in that suit is equivalent to five hours in a normal gym.
  

  Karim Benzema wearing the bodysuit during a workout session

• His workout includes cardio for 15-20 minutes on an elliptical machine or a treadmill with steps followed by exercises for abs, squats, stretching, and kickboxing. He trains twice a week to allow for good muscle recovery.

Donc je repars en mission… 🐅 pic.twitter.com/sG1X86xmNd

— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) July 3, 2023

• He also has a personal chef. His diet mainly includes sushi, proteins, and pasta, and he avoids fatty foods.

• He shares a good relationship with his kids. He once got emotional on a TV show while showing a photo of his children.
  

  Karim Benzema with his children during a holiday

• There have been rumours that Cora Gauthier is his wife as she is the mother of one of his 4 children; however, he has never confirmed them.
  

  Karim Benzema with Cora Gauthier (right)

• He has achieved considerable financial success in his football career and was ranked 8th in the World’s Highest Paid Athletes List of Forbes magazine in 2024.

• Benzema has often been in the news for taking care of the economic needs of his family and friends. In 2012, his maternal grandmother filed a case against him for not helping her with her monetary needs.

• The court hearings revealed that he has been paying her rent since 2007. His grandmother later said that she was manipulated by other family members who were jealous of Benzema’s success.

• He is often compared to Zinedine Zidane as both of them belong to the same region of Algeria.
  

  Karim Benzema with Zinedine Zidane (left)

• He owns several small businesses in his neighbourhood and often walks in the area without any bodyguards.

• Several books have been written on Karim Benzema such as My Football Hero: Karim Benzema and The Karim Benzema Story.
  

  Cover of the book, My Football Hero Karim Benzema, written on Karim Benzema’s life

• He once said that he would like to give training to young kids in football after he retires from football.

• Benzema is also considered a fashion icon as he has been spotted wearing clothes, shoes, and accessories of various brands.
  

  Karim Benzema in a Versace shirt and tinted sunglasses

• Here are the statistics of Zlatan’s international career: