Photo: Zack / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Benzema spent a decade being described as someone else's supporting act, and I find his patience almost more impressive than his trophies. Plenty of strikers score; very few re-engineer themselves into playmakers without losing their edge. Watching him drop deep, link the play with that velvet first touch, then still arrive to finish — that is a footballer who understood the game better than his critics did. The 2022 Ballon d'Or felt less like a coronation than an overdue correction. My take: his peak arrived late because his game was built on intelligence, and intelligence compounds. History will rank him higher than his own era did.
Overview
Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal. Regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time, Benzema is a creative forward known for his technical skills, vision and versatility on the field. He won 25 trophies with Real Madrid, including four La Liga, three Copa del Rey, and five UEFA Champions League titles.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Karim Benzema
- Name (Japanese)
- カリム・ベンゼマ
- Reading
- かりむ・べんぜま
- Born
- December 19, 1987 (age 38)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Rabbit
- Origin
- Lyon, Rhône, France
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 185 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- association football player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- French Player of the Year
- Trophées UNFP du football
- Bravo Award
- 2022 Ballon d'Or
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Association football player — see all → · More people from France →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.