Karim Benzema is arguably one of the best football players, many even rank him on par with teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and biggest rival Lionel Messi, but we’re not here for the ‘who is a better player’ argument. we’ll happily leave that part to many sports news sites and blogs out there.
Benzema proved his talent by setting records and packing trophies with the Spanish side Real Madrid for which he is best known. Let’s take a look at his football career as we also reveal details about his personal life, from his supposed wife to when he had a fling with pop star Rihanna and more.
Karim Benzema Biography,
Karim Benzema could have played on the Algeria if his grandfather, Da Lakehal Benzema, had not left his Tigzirt, his country of origin, Beni Djellil, in Algeria, to settle in the French city of Lyon , in the 1950s.
Prior to his resettlement, Da Lakehal had already started bearing children in Tigzirt and among them was Hafid who would become the father of Karim Benzema. In Lyon, Hafid married a certain Lyon star, Wahida Djebbara, and with her he had future football star, Karim Mostafa Benzema on December 19, 1987.
Karim Benzema grew to love football, a sport that was mostly loved in the neighborhood in which he was raised. At the age of 8, he earned a spot with his hometown club, Bron Terraillon, SC. The Benzema star shone even brighter after an Under-10 game against Lyon Youth Academy, where he scored two goals. This performance made him a highly sought after player, as many of the city’s elite academies came calling, Lyon eventually won the race.
Benzema quickly improved with the youth team and in 2004 he was called up to join the senior team. On his professional debut, which was a league game against Metz in 2005, Benzema announced himself by providing the assist for the game’s second goal. This performance, along with a host of others, would cement Benzema’s stay with the team after signing his first professional contract, which lasted three years.
Benzema struggled to find playing time due to the presence of star players like Fred and Wiltord in the Lyon squad. However, when he made an appearance, Benzema proved he had the skills to become a star. Already in the 2007/2008 season, after the departure of the star players from the team, Benzema’s talents became more visible.
He scored 30 goals that season to become Ligue 1’s top scorer. The 2008/2009 season was his last with Lyon, after which Spanish giants Real Madrid came calling in a tempting €35 million (USD 50 million) deal. . The deal was successful and Benzema officially became a Madrid player.
His impact with the side began to be felt from the 2011 season when he scored 32 goals. Since joining Madrid, Benzema has won at least 15 trophies, including 3 Champions League trophies and 2 La Liga titles. He scored over 120 goals.
After his time with the French youth team (under-17, under-18 and under-19), Benzema joined the national team in 2007. He has since been named French player of the year three times – 2011, 2012 and 2014.
Net value
For years, Karim Benzema has appeared in the Forbes magazineList of the highest paid football players in the world. In 2013, it was listed at number 20 with a total profit of $14.9 million. To support his salary, he had signed endorsement deals with Adidas, Hyundai and EA Sports. In 2016, Benzema’s salary with Real Madrid was around 8 million euros. Karim Benzema’s net worth is estimated at $40 million.
Benzema siblings
Benzema comes from a large family of 9 and he is the third in the family. His siblings include three brothers namely; Sabri, Farid and Gressy; and five sisters; Laeticia, Sofia, Celia, Lydia and Nafissa.
Two of Karim’s younger brothers, Gressy and Sabris are also interested in football. Sabri like Karim started in a youth club in their hometown of Bron. Gressy, on the other hand, plays in the 6th division of French football, Division d’Honneur with Vaulx-le-Velin.
His wife and his relationship with Rihanna
Like most football stars around the world, KarimBenzema has been romantically involved with a number of gorgeous women. And although he fathered children with a couple, he never made a wife. Many had thought he would make French nurse Chloé De Launay (who gave birth to their daughter Melia on February 3, 2014) his wife, but that never happened.
For three years, from 2010 to 2013, he dated Manon Marsault. From our records, this appears to be Benzema’s longest relationship.
In 2015, Benzema was linked to two women – popstar Rihanna and a certain Analicia Chaves. His relationship with both women was short-lived. Benzema was first linked with Rihanna during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and then scouted on specific dates. We even learned that Rihanna introduced Benzema to her family. However, the two never really made their relationship official. According to reports from 2017, the relationship didn’t work out as Rihanna still had feelings for her ex Chris Brown.
It was after his brief affair with Rihanna that he started dating Analicia Chaves, who had just married Belgian footballer Axel Witsel. Benzema and Analicia opened up about their relationship on social media, but it was soon over.
Then, Benzema was said to be dating the French model, Cora Gauthier. Their relationship began in 2016 and in May 2017 she gave birth to their son, Ibrahim, bringing Benzema’s number of children to two. Benzema was the target of violence in early 2018 after he took to social media to post photos of his children playing with young cubs.