Bezema’s two decades on the professional football team, he has played numerous roles under different managers. He is highly versatile when it comes to the area of expertise; hence, it is the very point that makes him a unique striker.
Today, Karim is widely recognized as one of the best strikers in the world as he currently plays for the Spanish club Real Madrid. Likewise, he has thirteen awards to date and is also the club’s fifth all-time top goalscorer and all-time assist provider.
Here, we will talk about Karim’s life in detail, ever since his struggle during his debut days. As much as of national games, we will also learn about his international games.
Well, he has appeared in more than four international tournaments, throughout which he has earned over 90 caps.
Facts About Karim Benzema
Full Name: Karim Mostafa Benzema
Date of Birth: December 19, 1987
Birth Place: Lyon, France
Nick Name: Coco
Religion: Muslim
Nationality: French
Ethnicity: White
Height: 1.85 meters (6 feet 1 inch)
Weight: 80 kg (176 lb)
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Eye Color: Light Brown
Body Type: Athletic
Father’s Name: Hafid Benzema
Mother’s Name: Wahida Djebbara
Siblings: 5 sisters (Nafissa Benzema, Lydia Benzema, Laeticia Benzema, Sofia Benzema, Celia Benzema) and 3 brothers (Gressy Benzema, Sabri Benzema, Farid Benzema)
Marital Status: Married
Wife: Cora Gauthier
Children: Two kids; Ibrahim and Mélia
Profession: Football player
Position: Striker
Youth Teams: Bron, Lyon
Senior Team: Lyon, Lyon B, Real Madrid (current)
Jersey Number: Nine (9)
Net Worth: $46 million
Workout Routine
Karim maintain his fitness and firm looks, he has a high-intensity training routine. Talking in detail, Karim has a strength training workout on Monday and Thursday.
During the days, he focuses on squats, reverses lunges, barbell push, chin-ups, rack pull, G swings, and knee to chest tucks.
Likewise, on Tuesdays, Karim has a conditioning workout. It includes Russian twist, hangs clean, burpee, battle ropes, sprawl to pull-ups, and many more. Moving on, he has a cardio workout on Wednesdays.
Lastly, on Fridays, Karim has bodyweight and conditioning workouts.
Apparently, it contains pull-ups, dragon flags, dips, inverted rows, alligator walk, to name a few. At the end of the week, Karim takes rest days on Saturdays and Sundays.
Karim Benzema’s Family Background
Apparently, his family immigrated from Algeria to the troubled neighborhood of Bron.
Initially, his grandfather named Da Lakehal Benzema lived in the village of Tigzirt and only moved out of it in the 1950s. Well, his father was also born in the village of Tigzirt, while his mother was a native of Lyon.
As for his mother, she originally came from Oran. As for his siblings, Karim has five sisters; Nafissa Benzema, Lydia Benzema, Laeticia Benzema, Sofia Benzema, and Celia Benzema. Similarly, he has three brothers; Gressy Benzema, Sabri Benzema, and Farid Benzema.
Among his siblings, his younger brothers, Gressy and Sabri, are also football players.
At present, Gressy is at the amateur level and plays for the Vaulx-le-Velin in the Division d’Honneur. As for Sabri, he plays in the youth academy of a club at Bron.
Childhood Days
Growing up, Karim Benzema had numerous issues, from a gang fight to minor crimes as a kid. Ultimately, his father disciplined and led him to the right path.
During his tenure, he attended Catholic school, and being an immigrant, it wasn’t an easy path to follow.
Back during those times, Karim was chubby and faced overweight problems. Therewith, his classmates often bullied him for it. Thus, he commenced maintaining his diet and keeping his weight under control.
Karim Benzema Career
As a matter of fact, Karim commenced his career role at the tender age of eight through his hometown club, Bron Terraillon SC. Back then, he commenced his journey after he gained attention from the Lyon Club officials.
They were drawn to him after he scored a goal against the Lyon Youth Academy.
Right then, he got his nickname “Coco.” Not long after the incident, the Lyon officials came to scout Karim however, as per the Bron’s president Serge Santa Cruz, he refused the offer.
Following it, the Lyons Club talked with Karim’s parents, and they agreed to the deal. Therewith, Karim initially started in the Lyon Club as a ballboy and played for their youth team.
Olympique Lyon
Indeed, being both overweight and of an introverted personality, many people also criticized him for it. Thus, he initially suffered a lot as he was a timid and quiet athlete.
Despite all these, as an under-16 team, Karim played for the domestic league, Championnat National des 16 ans, where he posted 38 goals in total. Following it, he ascended to the reserve team in the 2004-05 season.
There, he played in the French fourth division, the Championnat de France amateur. With them, Karim posted team-high ten goals.
Benzema’s Breakthrough
Karim Benzema got his huge breakthrough after the 2004 season as he got promoted to the senior team. Back then, he played under the team manager Paul Le Guen.
However, he again faced laughter and jokes from his senior during the initial phase. Instantly, Karim replied the following sentence after their jokes.
“Do not laugh at me. Remember, I was once a ball boy to you all, but now, I am here to compete, take the club’s number 10 shirt and your place.”
-Karim Benzema
Well, not long after it, he made his professional debut on January 15, 2005. Likewise, his foremost professional start only came after three appearances in-game on April 2, 2005.
As the team’s manager, the next season changed to Gérard Houllier, he initially struggled in the play. Later, he debuted for the UEFA Champions League, where he also scored his first professional goal.
In 2007, Karim finally got his number 10 jersey and also became the lead striker role. In the meantime, he also topped the league with 20 goals and exposed his talents to numerous titles.
Right then, he extended his contract with the team and became the most paid French athlete of the time. Altogether, he had posted 66 goals in 148 appearances for the team.
Real Madrid
After five years of togetherness with Lyon Club, Karim transferred to Spanish Club, Real Madrid on July 1, 2009, at €35 million plus incentives. Well, their contract was a six-year deal, and he later made the club debut on July 20 in the club’s opening pre-season friendly match.
Not long after it, Karim stood as the top scorer group of the club and also made his Champion league debut on September 30. Yet again, he stood as a substitute and was criticized as he couldn’t adapt to the situations.
At the same time, he had a hard time learning Spanish. In the 2010-11 season, Karim shifted to number 9 jersey, and even after all this time, the news and talks about his weight and potential surrounded him.
In 2011, Karim posted his 100th professional goal against his hometown club and later ended a campaign just behind Ronaldo with his scores. Moving on in the 2011-12 season, he made his foremost La Liga Championship debut, where he only scored in the fourth game.
Later, in December 2011, Karim recorded the fastest goal with just 21 seconds into the match. A year down the lane, he stood as the best French Footballer. On August 6, 2014, he then extended his contract with the team for the next five years.
By 2017, he had also surpassed Thierry Henry and again extended his contract till 2021. The next year, after Cristiano Ronaldo left the club for Juventus, Karim stood as the new goal setter of the team.
Top Scorer
Talking just about his 2018-19 season, he bagged 30 goals in total and became the club’s top scorer. During the 2018 UEFA Champions League group stage, Karim reached his 200th goals milestone with the club.
Following it in the 2019-20 season, he stood as the second player to score in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons after Lionel Messi. In the meantime, he also became the third Real Madrid player to have 50 goals in the particular competition.
In August 2020, Karim became the club’s top scorer with 27 goals for the second consecutive season. As of the 2021-22 season, he stood as Real Madrid’s vice-captain and made a contract extension till the 2023 season.
Likewise, Karim posted 200 La Liga goals as one of the only four Real Madrid players.
International Career
Youth Career
During his youth career, Karim Benzema was a member of France as the Génération 1987, where he made his international youth debut under coach Philippe Bergeroo. Later, coming under-18 leave team, he became the game starter and made his team debut through a local tournament in the Czech Republic.
Altogether, throughout his under-18 team, Karim played 18 games and posted a team-high 14 goals. During his under-21 team play, he appeared both as a starter and substitute in the first leg and second leg.
At first, Karim gained his international scout in 2006 through former federation president Hamid Haddadj and then coach Jean-Michel Cavalli.
Senior Career
The same year in 2006, Katrim got his initial call out for the national senior team through Raymond Domenech. Similarly, he made his international debut on March 28, 2007, against Austria.
At first, he struggled in the international arena during the 2008 season but made it back nicely in the 2010 season. As he was wearing the number nine jersey earlier, he stood with the number ten later.
In 2014, he finally ended his scoring drought on the national team while playing against Australia.
Karim Benzema’s Awards and Achievements
- Bravo Award: 2008
- Ligue 1 top scorer: 2007 to 2008
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: January & April (2008) and Player of the Year
- UNFP Best French Player playing Abroad: 2018–19, 2020–21
- Étoile d’Or: 2007–08
- EDGE Performance of the Month: March 2011
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2020–21
- UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2011–12
- La Liga Player of the Month: October 2014, June 2020, and March 2021
- French Player of the Year: 2011, 2012, and 2014
- Trophées UNFP for Best French Player playing Abroad: 2019 and 2021
- Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano: 2019–20
- MARCA’s Best Player in 2019–20 (Voted by Fans)
- Onze d’Or: 2020–21
- UEFA European Championship Bronze Boot: 2020
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2004
- La Liga: 2011–12, 2016–17, and 2019–20
- Copa del Rey: 2010–11 and 2013–14
- Supercopa de España: 2012 and 2017
- UEFA Champions League: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, and 2017–18
- UEFA Super Cup: 2014, 2016, and 2017
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018
Net Worth
At present, Karim Benzema maintains a net worth of $46 million, which he mostly earns from his football career. Likewise, he has an $8 million.
Apart from his career games, Karim also earns through his multiple brand endorsement deals. Well, he has a boot deal with the German sports equipment, Adidas.
Similarly, he also has deals with brands like Hyundai, SFR (Société française du radiotéléphone), LCL (Le Crédit Lyonnais), and bwin.
Likewise, Karim is an American video game publisher Electronic Arts ambassador for the FIFA series among his several advertising campaigns.
House And Cars
As for the house, Karim Benzema bought a luxury designer house in France, India, in 2015. Well, it is estimated to cost around 2.7 Million USD.
Similarly, he owns several car brands like Range Rover, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari, and Bugatti.
Personal Life
Karim Benzema is currently a married man with a beautiful family of his own. He is married to Cora Gauthier, whom he met back in early 2016. Well, the duo didn’t take long to click with each other.
Just a year after their meeting, they had their son Ibrahim on May 5, 2017. Apart from it, Karim also has a daughter from his previous relationship. His daughter, Melia, was born on February 3, 2014.
Besides these, there are no details regarding the duo’s wedding. Talking about Cora Gauthier, she is pretty private when it comes to her personal life. Well, she is a model and has appeared in several photoshoots and campaigns.
