 Karim Benzema of Olympique Lyonnais |
"He understands the game, makes all the right runs and, importantly, he knows exactly where the goal is"
Bernard Lacombe, Olympique Lyon director of sport
"Karim has so much talent. I've been playing with him since he was 17 and he keeps getting better and better. So long as he keeps his humility he will become one of the very best"
Juninho, Olympique Lyon captain
"Benzema is an extraordinary talent, who is so young and has lots of personality"
Fabio Grosso, Olympique Lyon player
A pure product of the Olympique Lyon youth academy, Karim Benzema is recognised as one of Europe's hottest young strikers.
His speed, power-play and his style of dramatic finishes made him a superstar in the world of football.
There have been rumors linking Benzema to European top clubs like Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool and Arsenal.
And in order to quell all the transfer rumors surrounding Benzema, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has placed a staggering €100 million price tag on the striker.
Benzema grew up playing football from an early age and perfected his skills as a complete striker, capable of holding up play, winning headers and scoring from a variety of positions.
Of Algerian-Kabyle descent, the 9 year old Benzema was spotted by Lyon's scouts and was quickly signed into their youth academy.
His childhood hero is Ronaldo as he cited the Phenomenon as a major influence on his desire to play football.
Benzema was hugely successful in the underage system, scoring 38 goals in one season for Lyon's U-16s and firing hosts France to glory at the UEFA U-17 European Championships in 2004.
He was capped internationally for France's U-16s,U-17s and U-18s, and his underage national scoring record was an impressive 20 goals from 35 starts.
Benzema, who is capable of playing as a striker and a winger, made his breakthrough to the senior Lyon squad at the tender age of 17 in a French Ligue 1 match against Metz in 2005.
In 2006, Benzema was asked to play for the Algerian national team. But he politely rejected the offer stating that he would prefer to play for French national team.
He then earned his first cap on March 2007 in a friendly match against Austria that ended in a 1-0 victory with Benzema scoring the lone goal.
Benzema thus cemented his place in the French national team as a regular.
The prolific striker was selected to represent France at Euro 2008, but could not help Les Bleus from a disastrous campaign as they were knocked out in the first round of competition, claiming only one point from three games.
On March 2008, Benzema, who was nominated alongside Franck Ribéry and Wayne Rooney to be featured on the cover of the game FIFA 09, extended his contract with Lyon until 2013 with a one year extension option, making him one of the highest paid footballers in France.
Full name: Karim Benzema
Date of birth: December 19, 1987
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Nationality: French
2nd nationality: Algerian
Height: 1.83 m
Weight: 73 kg
Club: Lyon
Position: Striker
Number: 10
Honours:
French Ligue 1 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
French Trophée des champions (2006, 2007)
Coupe de France (2008)
French Ligue 1 Player of the Year (2008)
French Ligue 1 Top Scorer (2008)
Technorati tags: France Olympique Lyon Karim Benzema
His speed, power-play and his style of dramatic finishes made him a superstar in the world of football.
And in order to quell all the transfer rumors surrounding Benzema, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has placed a staggering €100 million price tag on the striker.
Benzema grew up playing football from an early age and perfected his skills as a complete striker, capable of holding up play, winning headers and scoring from a variety of positions.
Of Algerian-Kabyle descent, the 9 year old Benzema was spotted by Lyon's scouts and was quickly signed into their youth academy.
His childhood hero is Ronaldo as he cited the Phenomenon as a major influence on his desire to play football.
Benzema was hugely successful in the underage system, scoring 38 goals in one season for Lyon's U-16s and firing hosts France to glory at the UEFA U-17 European Championships in 2004.
He was capped internationally for France's U-16s,U-17s and U-18s, and his underage national scoring record was an impressive 20 goals from 35 starts.
In 2006, Benzema was asked to play for the Algerian national team. But he politely rejected the offer stating that he would prefer to play for French national team.
He then earned his first cap on March 2007 in a friendly match against Austria that ended in a 1-0 victory with Benzema scoring the lone goal.
Benzema thus cemented his place in the French national team as a regular.
The prolific striker was selected to represent France at Euro 2008, but could not help Les Bleus from a disastrous campaign as they were knocked out in the first round of competition, claiming only one point from three games.
On March 2008, Benzema, who was nominated alongside Franck Ribéry and Wayne Rooney to be featured on the cover of the game FIFA 09, extended his contract with Lyon until 2013 with a one year extension option, making him one of the highest paid footballers in France.
Full name: Karim Benzema
Date of birth: December 19, 1987
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Nationality: French
2nd nationality: Algerian
Height: 1.83 m
Weight: 73 kg
Club: Lyon
Position: Striker
Number: 10
Honours:
French Ligue 1 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
French Trophée des champions (2006, 2007)
Coupe de France (2008)
French Ligue 1 Player of the Year (2008)
French Ligue 1 Top Scorer (2008)
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Technorati tags: France Olympique Lyon Karim Benzema
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