It has been a while since we’ve seen our favourite players in La Liga because of the coronavirus pandemic. And finally, the wait is over come June 11th.
Upon checking the league table, Barcelona and Real Madrid are in a tight two-way race for the title as they have 58 and 56 points respectively with neither being favoured in our La Liga 2020 odds.
But before we get into the matches, let’s feature this player who has been around the block for quite some time now.
This player is one of my personal favourites and is often underrated when it comes to being considered one of the best strikers of all time. He is, after all, a huge reason why Los Blancos have enjoyed a ton of success over the past decade.
Just like how my SBOBET colleague featured one of his teammates in Eden Hazard, allow us to take a closer look at Karim Benzema on his life on and off the field.
He belongs to a family of footballers
While Karim Benzema’s parents aren’t exactly known for their football, it was his brothers who shared the love of the beautiful game with him.
For the Real Madrid striker, he started off as a ballboy for Bron Terraillon when he was much younger and several scouts from Olympique Lyonnais took notice of him when he showed out during an U-10 match to where he scored a brace.
From there, Karim Benzema saw his stock continually rise as he performed well in the Lyon academy, notching 32 goals for their U-16 team in the local league.
His younger brothers in Gressy and Sabri followed in his footsteps and became decent footballers in their own right.
Gressy often makes the most of his opportunity by following his brother around in Real Madrid practices and even played futsal before currently playing for Vaulx-le-Velin in the sixth division of French football. Sabri, on the other hand, is playing for Bron Terraillon.
He owns the record for the fastest El Clasico goal ever
Karim Benzema – not Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi – owns the record for the fastest goal in El Clasico history.
In a match back in 2011, the French national scored the first goal of the game in just 21 seconds to put his team ahead, although they eventually lost 3-1.
After a mad scramble, Karim Benzema was at the right place and at the right time when the ball floated right into his spot for an easy point-blank finish.
To prove that his goalscoring exploits are no fluke, Benzema is one of the top goalscorers in La Liga history with 241 goals in 501 appearances. He is still in his prime and is expected to add more goals along with the best La Liga 2020 highlights this term.
Karim Benzema had a short relationship with Rihanna
Karim Benzema’s love life, for the most part, isn’t publicised except back in 2015 when he dated international music icon Rihanna.
The two were often seen together partying in clubs all over Hollywood and looked to be on their way to become an item. However, one obstacle was standing in the way in Rihanna’s former lover Chris Brown.
According to Spanish publication Don Balon, the pop star admittedly had feelings for the Real Madrid striker but she felt the need to cut their growing relationship short since she is not yet over with Chris Brown.
Both of them remain unmarried as of the moment. However, Karim Benzema is now a proud father of two kids.
The French striker loves his cars
His affinity for high class cars is well-documented especially given what he’s earned playing at a high-level.
The 32-year-old goalscorer has a car collection that most people would be envious to look at, which includes rides such as the Bugatti Veyron, Mercedes Benz-SLR, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini Gallardo, and the Ferrari 458 Spider.
Corporate sponsorship is a wonderful thing for a football player, especially since Real Madrid are in partnership with Audi. If you’re a player for Los Blancos, you are expected to get your hands on the latest cars from the German automobile outfit.
In 2017, Benzema was seen in the Audi Q5 and the RS6 Avant C7, which are estimated with a total of £130,000 as part of their marketing campaign.
A big what-if for the French national team
But for all of his success playing for Real Madrid, it’s safe to say that Karim Benzema’s time with the French national team is quite underwhelming.
He’s had success earlier when he was part of the U-17 team that won the European Football Championship and he went on to earn all caps at all levels representing his country.
However, given his personal problems along with his lack of goals under Didier Deschamps, Benzema eventually fell out of favour with the national team.
From his Valbuena scandal to his animosity towards Olivier Giroud, Deschamps has developed an aversion for him despite giving him so many chances earlier.
Karim Benzema will always be a cautionary tale for the French national team. But in La Liga, his name is up there as one of the league’s all-time greats.
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