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==Lyon== ==Lyon==
===Early career=== ===Early career===
Benzema is a product of the ]. Before joining Lyon, he trained at local ] club Bron Terraillon SC in the commune ], a suburb of Lyon. His performances with Bron's juvenile team caught the attention of Lyon scouts and he joined the academy in ] at the age of 9.<ref></ref> Benzema quickly ascending up the ranks scoring 38 goals in one season with ]<ref></ref> and scoring 12 goals in 14 matches with ] before earning a call up to the senior squad by manager ]. Benzema is a product of the ]. Before joining Lyon, he trained at local ] club Bron Terraillon SC in the commune ], a suburb of Lyon. His performances with Bron's juvenile team caught the attention of Lyon scouts and he joined the academy in ] at the age of 8.<ref></ref> Benzema quickly ascending up the ranks scoring 38 goals in one season with ]<ref></ref> and scoring 12 goals in 14 matches with ] before earning a call up to the senior squad by manager ].


He made his league debut for Lyon on ], 2005, during the ], in a match against ] coming on as a substitute in the 77<sup>th</sup> minute. Lyon won the match 2–0 with Benzema providing the assist on the second goal scored by ].<ref></ref> Five days later, he signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal.<ref></ref> Over the next two seasons, his play was limited making a total of 34 appearances and scoring 6 goals, including his first ever against ] in a 3–1 win,<ref></ref> as well as his first ] goal against ] club ] in a 2–1 victory.<ref></ref> He made his league debut for Lyon on ], 2005, during the ], in a match against ] coming on as a substitute in the 77<sup>th</sup> minute. Lyon won the match 2–0 with Benzema providing the assist on the second goal scored by ].<ref></ref> Five days later, he signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal.<ref></ref> Over the next two seasons, his play was limited making a total of 34 appearances and scoring 6 goals, including his first ever against ] in a 3–1 win,<ref></ref> as well as his first ] goal against ] club ] in a 2–1 victory.<ref></ref>

Revision as of 21:30, 22 June 2009

Karim Benzema
Personal information
Full name Karim Benzema
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team Olympique Lyonnais
Number 10
Youth career
1995–1996 SC Bron Terraillon
1996–2004 Lyon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004– Lyon
International career
2007– France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 April 2009
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 3 June 2009

Karim Benzema (born 19 December 1987 in Lyon) (Template:Pron-en or /bɛnˈzeɪmə/) is a French footballer who plays as a striker for Lyon and the France national team. Benzema has been heralded as one of the leading players of France's new generation and has, to a lesser extent, been compared to the Brazilian Ronaldo by several former players and pundits, primarily due to his prolific scoring, great physique, effective dribbling, and great vision. His nickname is Le Phénomène, the French variation of "The Phenomenon", which is Ronaldo's nickname. Ronaldo is also Benzema's favorite player.

Benzema has come through the youth academy at Lyon and has been capped at senior level for France. He played in Euro 2008 and was the top goalscorer in Ligue 1 for the 2007–08 season just 3 seasons after making his professional debut. This was also his breakthrough season which saw him earn many awards and a new contract which resulted in him becoming one of the highest-paid footballers in the French league.

Early life

Born in Lyon to parents of Algerian-Berber descent, he grew up with 8 siblings and his father Hafid in the district of Bron.

Lyon

Early career

Benzema is a product of the Olympique Lyonnais Academy. Before joining Lyon, he trained at local Rhône-Alpes club Bron Terraillon SC in the commune Bron, a suburb of Lyon. His performances with Bron's juvenile team caught the attention of Lyon scouts and he joined the academy in 1996 at the age of 8. Benzema quickly ascending up the ranks scoring 38 goals in one season with Lyon's under-16 team and scoring 12 goals in 14 matches with the under-18 team before earning a call up to the senior squad by manager Paul Le Guen.

He made his league debut for Lyon on January 15, 2005, during the 2004–05 season, in a match against Metz coming on as a substitute in the 77 minute. Lyon won the match 2–0 with Benzema providing the assist on the second goal scored by Bryan Bergougnoux. Five days later, he signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal. Over the next two seasons, his play was limited making a total of 34 appearances and scoring 6 goals, including his first ever against AC Ajaccio in a 3–1 win, as well as his first UEFA Champions League goal against Norwegian club Rosenborg in a 2–1 victory.

Breakout season

For the 2007–08 season, with the likes of Florent Malouda, John Carew, and Sylvain Wiltord all departing the club, Benzema, despite being 19 at the time, switched to the number 10 shirt and was given control of the attack. After forming a special relationship with new manager Alain Perrin, he was given the lead striker role and responded with 31 goals in 51 games. He topped the league with 20 goals, scored four goals in the UEFA Champions League, one in the Coupe de la Ligue, and totaled 6 goals in six Coupe de France matches helping Lyon win their first ever double. Some of his more dazzling performances that season included a hat trick against Metz on 15 September, an equalizing goal in the 90 minute from a free kick against Derby du Rhône rivals Saint-Étienne, and a goal against Lens that was nominated for goal of the season by fans. After receiving the ball on the left wing from Nadir Belhadj, Benzema became engulfed by midfielder Yohan Demont and defender Fabien Laurenti. Rather than being forced to play the ball out of bounds, Benzema performed a backheel nutmeg on Laurenti causing the defender to fall down and allowing Benzema to escaped the double team. Benzema continued through to goal and capped the run by blasting a right-footed shot past the shocked Croat Vedran Runje.

In the Champions League, Benzema scored an important brace against Rangers at Ibrox Park on the last match day of the group stage. The 3–0 victory assured Lyon progression to the knockout rounds. In the knockout rounds, Lyon faced Manchester United and Benzema continued his great form scoring on a blistering left-footed shot in the 54 minute, despite being surrounded by five United players. The match ended in a 1–1 draw and United eventually won the tie 1–2 on aggregate. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and players later praised Benzema for his performance.

"It's a compliment to be compared to Zinedine Zidane but we are different players,"

Karim Benzema, after being compared to Zinedine Zidane.

On 13 March 2008, Benzema extended his contract with Lyon until 2013 with a one year extension option. After signing his new contract, Benzema became one of the highest paid footballers in France. For his efforts that season, he was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year, selected to the Team of the Year, and awarded the Trophée du Meilleur Buteur for being the league's top scorer. He was also shortlisted by the French magazine France Football for the 2008 Ballon d'Or award, won by Cristiano Ronaldo.

2008–09 season

After getting off to a good start to the 2008–2009 season, netting six goals in his team's first five matches, Olympique Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas quelled the many transfer rumors surrounding Benzema by placing a €100 million price tag on the striker. He was also nominated alongside Franck Ribéry to be featured on the French cover of the video game FIFA 09.

He scored his seventh goal of the league on 29 October scoring in the 2–0 win over Sochaux. Benzema scored again the following weekend, in a 2–0 win over Le Mans. He was among the top scorers in the UEFA Champions League group stage scoring 5 goals, a brace against Steaua Bucureşti, two goals in two matches against Fiorentina, and a goal against the eventual group winners Bayern Munich on the final match day.

Benzema scored his 15 and 16 goals of the season on 17 May in a 3–1 away victory over rivals Marseille, the first goal being a penalty. He scored his 17 goal the following weekend against Caen in a 3–1 victory moving him into third place among Ligue 1 top scorers.

International career

Benzema has earned caps with all of France's youth teams. In 2004, he was a part of the under-17 squad that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, their first ever. Before representing France, Benzema was eligible for Algeria and was called up to the squad by the Fédération Algérienne de Football in December 2006, but turned them down stating, "Algeria is my parents’ country and it is in my heart, but football-wise I will only play for the French national team."

On 28 March 2007, Benzema won his first cap for France against Austria, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win for France. His next two goals came in one game against the Faroe Islands, who France subsequently beat 6–0.

Euro 2008

He was selected to represent France at Euro 2008. France's Euro 2008 campaign got off to a bad start with a 0–0 draw against Romania and after a muted performance, he was substituted in the second half and played no part in their following game, a 4–1 defeat to the Netherlands. In the last group game, France lost 2-0 to Italy and Benzema featured in the starting lineup. He has now adopted the number ten for France. He scored his last goal for France from the penalty spot against Turkey on 5 June 2009 in a friendly where they won 1–0.

All-time club performance

As of 27 May 2009

Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Olympique Lyonnais 2004-05 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 1
2005-06 13 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 0 16 4 2
2006-07 21 5 2 4 1 0 3 2 0 28 8 2
2007-08 36 20 5 9 7 1 7 4 1 52 31 7
2008-09 36 17 2 3 1 0 8 5 1 47 23 3
Career totals 112 43 11 18 11 2 19 12 2 149 66 15

International Goals - France

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 28 March 2007 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Austria 1 – 0 1 – 0 Friendly
2 13 October 2007 Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands  Faroe Islands 0 – 3 0 – 6 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
3 13 October 2007 Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands  Faroe Islands 0 – 5 0 – 6 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
4 20 August 2008 Ullevi, Göteborg, Sweden  Sweden 1 – 1 2 – 3 Friendly
5 14 October 2008 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Tunisia 3 – 1 3 – 1 Friendly
6 5 June 2009 Stade Gerland, Lyon, France  Turkey 1 – 0 1 – 0 Friendly

Honours

Club

France Lyon

International

France France

Individual

References

  1. "Euro 08 Profile".
  2. Benzema revelling in the big time
  3. La carriere de Karim BENZEMA
  4. Karim Benzema at National-Football-Teams.com
  5. Arsenal's French legion leads way as Les Bleus find new generation of world-beaters
  6. ^ Karim Benzema keeps feet on the Lyon ground
  7. The Next Zinedine Zidane: Karim Benzema or Samir Nasri?
  8. In Benzema, Lyon have their own Ronaldo
  9. United beware Benzema - the Lyon cub with it all
  10. "Benzema, le phénomène qui réveille le foot". Lepoint.fr. 2008-02-07. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  11. Lyon's Benzema spares thought for Ronaldo
  12. Moore, Glenn (2007-06-25). Wenger's options to replace Henry: Owen, Anelka Tevez ... or no one. The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-01-28.
  13. "Benzema Profile".
  14. "Benzema, l'arme fatale de l'OL" (in French). Maxifoot. 2007-09-19. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  15. The Rise and Rise of Karim Benzema
  16. Benzema, un Lyonnais heureux
  17. Lyon v. Metz Match Report
  18. Benzema va signer pro
  19. Ajaccio v. Lyon Match Report
  20. Fred leaves Lyon purring
  21. The Goal.com 50: Karim Benzema (14)
  22. Metz v. Lyon Match Report
  23. Benzema coup franc contre Saint-Etienne
  24. lyon vs lens
  25. Lyon seal revival as Rangers slump
  26. But de benzema contre manchester united
  27. Last-gasp Tévez thwarts Lyon
  28. United like the look of Benzema and begin their homework on Lyon's £45m striker
  29. ESPNsoccernet - Europe - Benzema extends Lyon contract until 2013
  30. Benzema becomes one of the highest paid footballers in France : He is sticking to his club until 2013 - Football - Sport competitions - France - International - Africa
  31. Benzema lands Ligue 1 award
  32. BENZEMA MEILLEUR BUTEUR
  33. Messi, Ronaldo lead Ballon d'Or short list
  34. "The players to appear on FIFA 2009 game covers are revealed".
  35. Benzema scores long shot agains Le Mans. Retrieved on 2 November 2008
  36. Top scorers
  37. Lyon prove too strong for valiant Steaua
  38. Lyon fightback denies Fiorentina
  39. Benzema leads Lyon onwards
  40. Bayern hold on to edge past Lyon
  41. Benzema on target twice against Marseille Retrieved on May 17 2009
  42. Lyon v. Caen Match Report
  43. "France 2-1 Spain line-ups". uefa.com. 2004-05-15. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  44. Andrew Haslam (2004-05-15). "Châteauroux celebrates French win". uefa.com. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  45. The Precocious 5
  46. The Rise and Rise of Karim Benzema
  47. Debutant Benzema gives France win over Austria. Retrieved on 16 May 2009
  48. 10 things you need to know about Benzema. Retrieved on 16 May 2009
  49. Romania 0-0 France. Retrieved on 7 June 2009
  50. Netherlands 4-1 France: Dutch master class. Retrieved on 7 June 2009
  51. Euro 2008: Italy expose French frailties. Retrieved on 7 June 2009
  52. France 1-0 Turkey: Benzema Ensures Winning End To French Season. Retrieved on 7 June 2009
  53. Includes Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, Trophée des Champions
  54. Includes UEFA Supercup

External links

Karim Benzema - Navigation boxes
France squad – UEFA Euro 2008
France
Ligue 1 top scorers
Olympique Lyonnais – current squad
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