Karim Benzema, the Late Bloom of France's Number 9

Karim Benzema, the Late Bloom of France's Number 9

On October 17, 2022, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, the Ballon d'Or ceremony. French striker Karim Benzema walked onto the stage to receive the trophy from previous winner Lionel Messi. Benzema was 34 and had been at Real Madrid for 13 years. It was his first Ballon d'Or — and almost certainly his last. Many fans had long felt he deserved one earlier; he had to wait until 34 to actually receive it. The late bloom is the defining footnote of his career.

Benzema's career carries a strange counterintuitive quality. He was one of the world's best center-forwards, scoring more than 360 goals across 14 years at Real Madrid. But because he played for years as a supporting cast member to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, his personal honors were chronically underrated. Only after Ronaldo left Madrid in 2018 did Benzema truly become the spearhead at Madrid — and he was already 30. The five years from 30 to 35 were the most glorious of his career.

Who Benzema Is

Karim Benzema was born in 1987 in the Bron immigrant district outside Lyon to Algerian parents. He played street football as a child and joined the Lyon academy at 9. At the time Lyon's academy was one of the strongest in France, producing national-team players such as Loic Remy, Hatem Ben Arfa, and Karim Keita. Benzema spent 10 years at the academy, developing into a center-forward.

In 2005, at 18, he debuted in Ligue 1. Over the next four years he progressed steadily at Lyon, helping them win four consecutive Ligue 1 titles. In 2008-09 he scored 17 goals and was named Ligue 1 MVP. Europe's giants lined up to sign him, and in 2009 Real Madrid bought him from Lyon for 35 million euros, launching his La Liga career.

The Supporting-Cast Years at Madrid

The early years at Madrid were not smooth. With Cristiano Ronaldo as the focal point, Benzema's position was unsettled, and Jose Mourinho preferred to rotate him with Gonzalo Higuain. Benzema scored in those years but did not shine, and Spanish media criticized him as not aggressive enough and overly mellow technically.

But Benzema had his own intelligence. He knew his role at Madrid was not lead striker but support to Ronaldo. He often said in interviews that he was glad to play the supporting part — Ronaldo was the world's best finisher, and his job was to help Ronaldo score more. The mental adjustment let him survive long-term at Madrid. From 2009 to 2018 he scored 15-25 goals every season as a steady second striker.

A National Team Ban

In October 2015 French forward Mathieu Valbuena accused Benzema of involvement in an attempt to extort him over an intimate video. Childhood friends of Benzema had tried to blackmail Valbuena, and Benzema was accused of helping mediate or pressure. The French FA removed Benzema from the national squad and banned him from playing for France.

The ban cost him Euro 2016, the 2018 World Cup, and Euro 2020. From age 27 to 32 he essentially had no international football. Such a prolonged absence is devastating for a world-class striker, because national-team success is critical for personal honors. Without the ban, Benzema would likely have entered the Ballon d'Or top tier years earlier.

The 2021 Return

In May 2021 France coach Didier Deschamps suddenly recalled Benzema for Euro 2020. The decision shocked French football. Deschamps explained that he had reassessed Benzema's form and the team's needs and considered his quality essential to the title push. Most French fans supported the recall, given Benzema's outstanding Madrid form.

At Euro 2020 Benzema played four matches and scored four goals, but France lost on penalties to Switzerland in the round of 16. The recall ended disappointingly but his individual form was fully validated. From 2021 to 2022 he was France's de facto second striker, behind only Mbappe. Unfortunately he was injured shortly before the 2022 World Cup and missed the entire tournament; France reached the final and lost to Argentina. Many believe his absence was a major reason France failed to defend.

The 2021-22 Explosion

By 2021 Ronaldo had been gone from Madrid for three years, and Benzema was finally the lead striker. In 2021-22 he scored 44 goals; Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League. In the Champions League knockouts he scored 10 goals personally, including decisive strikes against PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City. The season was the peak of his career.

That season is what finally won him the Ballon d'Or in October 2022. The vote had almost no suspense; everyone agreed Benzema was the only choice. On stage he thanked his family, Real Madrid, and his supporters. He was 34 — 10 years older than Messi had been when he first won. The late bloom made him one of the most unusual Ballon d'Or recipients ever.

The Saudi Transfer

In July 2023 Benzema moved from Real Madrid to Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League on a 500 million euro a year deal. The move shocked the football world, because he had only just won the Ballon d'Or and should have stayed at Europe's apex. But the petrodollar pull was too strong, and at 35 he chose comfort and family.

For Benzema, Saudi Arabia is the start of a gentle retirement. The pace is far lower than at Real Madrid, with none of the Champions League knockout intensity. He has maintained steady scoring without genuine high moments. Many fans view his Saudi period as the goodbye phase of his career. Competitively his Saudi numbers cannot match the European years, but as a personal choice the move makes sense.

Benzema's Playing Style

Many commentators describe Benzema as the closest thing to a modern "9 and a half" striker. He is not only a finisher; he organizes attacks from outside the box and threads decisive through balls. His passing vision and finishing technique are both elite. Such all-round center-forwards are rare in football history; references include France's Zinedine Zidane and Germany's Miroslav Klose.

His trademark move was a turn-and-shoot from the edge of the box. The action requires exceptional control; ordinary strikers cannot reproduce it. His shot power is not the greatest, but his angles are precise and goalkeepers struggle to anticipate. Over his career he has scored more than 60 goals from outside the box, one of the highest totals among forwards of his era. The completeness of his game made him effective in many tactical systems.

Benzema's Legacy

Benzema's most important legacy is the evolution of the "9 and a half" role. From him onward, the pure striker position has grown increasingly playmaker-like. Today's Erling Haaland, Victor Osimhen, and Wu Lei have all absorbed elements of Benzema's all-round style to varying degrees. That evolution is his longest-lasting influence.

His Ballon d'Or story also delivers a message to young players: even if you are overshadowed by superstars of your era, sustained level will eventually win recognition. Benzema waited 13 years for his Ballon d'Or — patience and persistence in themselves are an expression of character. Many of his contemporaries had long faded; he was still world-class at 30 to 34. That long-termism is the true spiritual legacy he leaves to the next generation.

This article is auto-generated and optimized by an intelligent content system, for reference only.