Real Madrid striker Benzema, 34, is in good shape and is having one of the best seasons of his club's career.
In 43 games this season, the Frenchman has scored 43 goals, including 26 in La Liga and 15 in the Champions League.
Particularly commendable is his consecutive hat-tricks in the knockout rounds against Paris Saint-Germain (round of 16) and Chelsea (quarter-finals) and played a key role in the elimination of Manchester City for the 17th Champions League final by the Whites.
As Benzema reaches new heights in the twilight of his career, let's take a look at 10 untold facts about the French striker.
Eligible to play for Algeria!
Karim Benzema was born on December 19, 1987 in Lyon, France, to hafid Benzema, the son of Hafid Benzema, and his mother, Vahida Jebala, both from Algeria.
With Algerian origin, the striker is qualified to represent this African team like Zidane, but he chose to play for France when he was selected for the national team.
Scored the fastest goal in the history of the Spanish national derby
On December 10, 2021, Benzema scored the fastest goal in the history of the national derby 21 seconds after kick-off. Unfortunately, Madrid lost the game 1-3 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
A movie about his life!
The film Le K Benzema, directed by Florent Bodin and Damien Piscarel, was released in 2017 and tells the life of Benzema.
Caddies of the Lyon club
An excellent product of Lyon's academy, Benzema joined the Ligue 1 club at the age of eight and played for their U10 team.
During his time at Lyon Youth, the Frenchman played as a caddy in several first-team matches at the club. After being promoted to the first team, he won all the trophies of Ligue 1 in Lyon, including four league titles.
Two of Benzema's brothers also play football
Karim Benzema grew up in Lyon, France, with seven siblings including five sisters (Nafissa, Faryd, Lydia, Sofia, Celia and Laeticia) and two brothers (Gracie and Sabri).
All three brothers began their journey as footballers, but only Karim Benzema had a successful career. Gracie played for the lower leagues in France early in his career, but retired in 2012 due to multiple injuries. Sabri was a semi-professional athlete, but did not continue afterwards.
His name is in the Guinness Book of World Records
In 2021, Karim Benzema and Messi were listed in the Guinness Book of World Records together. He had previously scored his first goal in a Champions League match against Sheriff Sharif. Since the 2005/06 season, Benzema and Messi have together held the record for scoring goals in the Champions League for 17 consecutive seasons.
Member of the French U17 European Championship team
Karim Benzema was an integral member of the French U17 team, which won the U17 European Championship in 2004. France beat Spain 2-1 in the final to lift the trophy. Players such as Samir Nasri and Hatham Ben Alpha are also part of the French team.
The French player who scored the most goals
Of the several records Benzema broke in the ongoing 2021/22 season, the most noteworthy one has to surpass the career goals scored by French legend Henry.
Benzema has currently scored 414 professional goals for club and national teams, three more than Henry the Great.
The oldest player to score a Champions League hat-trick
At 34 years and 108 days, Benzema led Real Madrid to a 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals this season, becoming the oldest player to score a hat-trick in Champions League history. The record he broke was set by his national team teammate Olivier Giroud at 34 years and 82 days.
The most frequently appeared foreign player for Real Madrid
To date, Benzema has made 602 appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid, the most appearances for the Spanish giants among foreign players. Karim Benzema is followed by his team-mate Marcelo, who has played 545 games for Real Madrid to date.