Karim Benzema is a 24 year old French football player was born on December 20, 1987 and is of an Algerian-Berber descent. He is currently playing in the Spanish La Liga for the team Real Madrid, and enjoys the position of a striker and is known for his amazing ability to create technical decisions on the field and a style of play that is powerful so much so that it has led to numerous goals and scores for the team.
As a talented striker, which is largely attached to his Algerian heritage, Benzema was wooed to fill the spot of Zinedine Zidane. However, the comparison between him and the former player was only popularized when he signed up and began playing for Real Madrid. The North African nation-state actually approached him to play for them, but he declined and told them that while the country will always be a part of his heart and identity, as a sportsman, he absolutely attaches to the French ideology.
As any Frenchman football enthusiast, his training came early when he joined the academy at the age of 9 in 1996. This was mainly fueled by his phenomenal performances as a part of the Youth team of Bron. Under the Lyon, his ranks quickly ascended the ladder as he was able to score 38 goals in one season as a part of the under-16 team. Additionally, he was able to score 12 goals in his 14 matches as a part of the under-18 team. His debut came, after being called to play for the senior squad. In 2005, he was given his debut when during a match against FC Metx, he was fielded as a substitute during the 77th minute. His team won by being able to score 2 to none, and with him providing the assist play for Bryan Berggougnoux to seal the second goal. After five days, he was signed to a 3-year deal, but in the next 2 seasons, he was only able to make 34 appearances and score 6 goals. Nobody should be dismayed, however, as these goals include makintgit past AC Ajaccio to seal a 3-1 win, and a UEFA Champions Lague kick against Norway’s Rosenbork BK.
As one of the future football superstars – assuming he still is not – he has undoubtedly proving himself in the first four seasons that he played as a professional for Lyon. His performance in in Ligue 1 and Champions league is considered to be final blow which sealed t he deal that signed him up for a £30 million deal in 2009 with Real Madrid. The sad thing to take note, however, is that he was demoted and was seen mainly on the bench because of the Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, and was insultingly overlooked for the club’s line up for France’s 2010 World Cup Squad. Today, Karim Benzema remains to be one of the more popular players in the league and the world can only hope for his team to finally give him the field time that he has trained for since he was a kid, and he deserves as a pro.
