Karim Benzema

Real Madrid's Ballon d'Or winner in 2022 and the club's all-time Champions League scorer — a complete centre-forward of exceptional quality.

Karim Mostafa Benzema was born in Lyon in 1987, the son of Algerian immigrants from Bou Saâda, and developed at Olympique Lyonnais, making his debut in 2004. His three seasons at Lyon produced 66 goals in 148 appearances before Real Madrid paid £35 million in 2009. His 14 seasons at the Bernabéu produced 353 goals in 648 appearances — the club's second-highest scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo. He won five Champions Leagues (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022), four La Liga titles, three Club World Cups and two Copa del Reys. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2022 — the oldest first-time winner since Stanley Matthews — and the Champions League best player award in the same year, following a season of extraordinary knockout performances including a hat-trick against Chelsea in the quarter-finals and a bicycle kick against PSG in the round of 16. He earned 97 caps for France, scoring 37 goals, but missed the 2014 and 2018 World Cups through exclusion. His late-career renaissance — following Ronaldo's departure in 2018 — showed a completeness and leadership that elevated him from outstanding striker to all-time great. He joined Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in 2023.

• Champions League 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 (Real Madrid)
• La Liga 4x
• Copa del Rey 2x
• Ballon d'Or 2022
• Pichichi 2022
• Ligue 1 2007, 2008 (Lyon)