Karimaldo

By: Inara | October 15th, 2007

Our next player profile will be on Karim Benzema, Lyon’s 19 year old striker.

Benzema has always been touted as a Young Prospect. He is expected to do Very Big Things. He is a Player For The Future. Everyone knows that Benzema is Special.

But what people didn’t notice was that the future is already here. He’s gone from being a prospect to a very definite Yes.

Let me guess what some of you are thinking. How dare I brand a kid as a future superstar? He could be a flop next season. Benzema could pull an Anthony Le Tallec on us. He could be another overrated French maybe.

But this 19 year old kid has not just impressed in France – he’s also scored three times in the Champions League. He’s been getting regular call ups to the France NT and has three goals for Les Bleus. He’s won three L1 titles with Lyon as well as the UEFA U-17 championship.

The skeptics will claim that L1 has produced its share of spectacular flops (Jérémie Aliadière, I’m looking at you), but given the quality France has also exported, even the hardened skeptic cannot deny Benzema’s potential.

Benzema’s talent has been noted since he arrived at Lyon’s youth academy over nine years ago. After winning the U-17 Championship and scoring an average of 30 goals per season with the reserves, he made the jump to the senior team seamlessly, and at 17, he scored his first Champions League goal against Rosenberg.

Last year, when both Fred and John Carew were out injured, he took over striker responsibilities with ease, not only scoring in the league but also netting two goals in the Champions League and earning a call up to the France NT. His subsequent injury kept him out for several months, but upon his return, he scored for his international debut against Austria.

Benzema can play outside the Hexagon as well.

This season, he’s become an unquestionable starter, keeping Milan Baros on the bench, and if his form continues, he’ll either keep Fred out or force Perrin to switch to a two-striker system. Instead of wilting in the pressure cooker that is Lyon these days, Benzema has been scoring in nearly every game he’s played in, with ten goals in ten matches. He has yet to score in the Champions League this year (though he started against Barcelona and Rangers), but given the overall poor performances of Lyon, no one’s holding it against him.

Comparison of famous French strikers at the age Benzema is now.

I suppose Benzema could be accused of having supreme self-confidence because in his mind, there has never been any doubt about his abilities. When Lyon were once again contemplating bringing in another striker last year, he said quite famously,

“I hear Lyon need to find a great forward, there’s no need to go and find a forward anywhere. Fred is the coach’s number one at the moment, but I will go on working and one day become the number one at Lyon.”

Lyon didn’t take him too seriously back then, but after Benzema’s explosive start this season, you can be sure that Lyon won’t make the same mistake twice.

The best France has to offer is yet to come.

His poise on the ball, his ability to score from any position and with any foot (and his head), his ease at finding the back of the net, his tactical awareness and pace, his finishing abilities and consistency…Benzema has it all. What he needs now is experience and time to reinforce his talent. And I’m not the only one who’s noticed. His compatriots Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka, and David Trezeguet have all singled Benzema out for special praise, with Henry going so far as to say that Benzema will win the Balloon D’Or one day.

But though several clubs are interested, some even preparing bids for the January transfer window, it will be impossible to dislodge Benzema from Lyon anytime soon. He’s too level-headed to be motivated by money or a “new adventure” abroad, and his loyal attitude speaks volumes about his maturity. He is quick to thank his fellow players and the club for helping him become a better player, and his humility has endeared him to all his teammates. And unlike many other blossoming young stars, Benzema knows that it’s in his best interest to stay at a club that he knows and loves, and more importantly, a club that knows and loves him. Here, he’s surrounded by his friends, family, teammates he’s known since childhood, and an adoring public.

In fact, when asked if he would consider seeing out his contract with Lyon (it runs until 2012), Benzema said he wouldn’t mind one bit – after all, he’ll be only 24 by then! His main wish at the moment is to win titles with Lyon and to bring home the Champions League trophy.

The only bit of controversy associated with him has been his requests to both Gerard Houllier and Alain Perrin to play him in the center. Being able to play anywhere in the front line, he’s often been deployed on the wings, a position in which he’s not terribly effective. He readily admits to being a poor crosser and prefers to play where he can score more easily. Houllier responded by saying that even he’d like to play as a centre-forward for Lyon while Perrin’s response was instead a warning that he would play Benzema wherever he saw fit.

Benzema will have to be careful not to become injury-prone.

If there is one weakness that Benzema has, it’s that he’s still hasn’t learned how to take care of himself. Last year, he suffered three hamstring injuries that kept him out of action for most of the season. But now he has a personal trainer who helps him regulate his eating and sleeping habits so that he stays healthy and gets enough rest in between games and practices. He is also working on gaining more muscle mass, as he currently doesn’t have the raw strength that most top strikers possess.

But like all young and exciting players (Giovanni dos Santos, Nani, Theo Walcott, Sergio Aguero, Alexandre Pato), only time will tell if Benzema becomes the player we’re hoping he’ll be. With so much money and fame spoiling players in the footballing world, it takes a very humble and driven personality to continue working hard no matter how fat his wallet becomes.

Still, early signs indicate that Benzema is just that sort of player. As OL fans, we can only hope that turns out to be true.

His goals so far this season:

Interesting facts:

- Of Algerian descent, he turned down the opportunity to play with the Algerian NT because though Algeria was his parents’ country and in his heart, he considers himself 100% French.

- He has 9 brothers and sisters!

- His favorite player and role model is Ronaldo. Interestingly, it’s Ronaldo’s playing style and early talent that is most reflected in Benzema.

- Benzema’s other role model (besides Ronaldo) is his mother.

- He is part of France’s “Second Golden Generation,” which features Samir Nasri, Jeremy Menez, and OL teammate Hatem Ben Arfa.

- He grew up in a small house in Bron Terraillon, a dangerous and rough neighborhood in Lyon where the only clubs most kids joined were gangs. But Benzema’s parents kept a close eye on all their children and kept them out of trouble.

- Benzema only recently moved out of his family’s house. Even last season his parents drove him to practice in order to make sure that “his head wouldn’t get too big.”

- He regularly bests senior players like Anthony Reveillere and Florent Malouda at Playstation.

- Bernard Lacombe has been personally following Benzema’s progress for nearly ten years and has been his staunchest supporter. It was Lacombe who told Aulas a few years back that Lyon had a star striker in their own backyard.

- Laurie wants to adopt him.

Other profiles: Hatem Ben Arfa, Fred, Cris, Kim Kallstrom, Jeremy Toulalan