Karim Benzema
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Karim Benzema | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lyon | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 November 2007 | |||
Karim Benzema (born 19 December, 1987) is a French footballer of Algerian Kabyle descent who plays in a forward role for Olympique Lyonnais.
Club career
A pure product of the Olympique Lyonnais youth academy, he is capable of playing as the main striker in Olympique Lyonnais' preferred 4-3-3 formation, but he can also play on both wings. Linked with major clubs such as Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus, he has also been linked recently with a move to the Spanish giants Real Madrid, and English club Liverpool F.C. but despite all the interest from Europe's biggest clubs he has often reiterated his desire to keep playing for his hometown club and help them to win the UEFA Champions League.[1]
International career
After many goals in the French youth teams[2], Benzema was asked to play for the Algerian national team, on December 9 2006. He refused, stating that he would rather play for France. He then earned his first cap on March 28 2007 in a friendly against Austria that ended in a 1-0 victory with Benzema scoring the only goal. He has since then become a regular part of the French national team and is likely to be part of the French squad for Euro 2008.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score at time of Goal | 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 |
3-0 | 6-0 | Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 3. | 13 October 2007 | Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands | Faroe Islands |
5-0 | 6-0 | Euro 2008 qualifying |
Honors
- French Ligue 1 championship: 2005, 2006 and 2007 with Lyon.
References
- http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/news/kind=1/newsid=569665.html
- http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/news/kind=1/newsid=478758.html
External links
- Karim Benzema – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived)
- Goal.com profile