9 things you probably didn't know about Karim Benzema

Lazy, clinical, world class – Karim Benzema been called different things at different times. But one thing has remained constant; his talent. His ability to score goals cannot be undermined and for, quite some time, Benzema has been one of the best in business.From an emerging talent in Lyon to becoming first choice number 9 at Real Madrid, Benzema has been through a lot. One of French football's greatest creations, Benzema is a part of the famous footballing trio known as BBC.But nothing comes easy in life. Benzema was criticised for his performances at the start of his Real Madrid career which helped him become the player he is today. He rose to fame with his performances for Lyon where he won the Ligue 1 title, French League player of the year and finished top scorer of Ligue 1 which ultimately got him a big money move to Real Madrid. And Benzema has never looked back since then.But there are a few things fans probably don’t know about Benzema.

#1 He served as a Ballboy when he was young

Benzema as a ballboy

Yes, Benzema started his footballing career at his hometown club of Bron Terraillon when he was just 8 years old. He started attracting attention from Lyon club officials when he scored two goals at an U-10 match against the Lyon Youth Academy.

He was scouted by Lyon’s officials and they directly visited him to persuade Bron Terraillon to sell him. Then-club president, Serge Santa Cruz refused to sell him. It was after Lyon’s officials talked to Benzema’s parents the deal was done. And that was when Benzema served as a ballboy at Lyon's senior team games.

Benzema was a huge success as a youngster in Lyon as quickly rose through the youth academy and scored a whooping 32 goals for Lyon’s U-16 team in the U-16 French League, Championnat National des 16 ans.

#2 He won the European U-17 Football Championship

Benzema with Hatem Ben Arfa and Samir Nasri with UEFA U-17 championship trophy

Even before Karim Benzema was a household name among football lovers, he was already winning titles. He was a part of the U-17 French football team which won its maiden UEFA European U-17 Football Championship which took place in France in 2004.

He was a part of the team which consisted of players such as Hatem Ben Arfa, Samir Nasri and Jeremy Menez. The French U-17 team beat Spain in the final of that tournament with a very late winner from Nasri.

Benzema scored one goal in that tournament which came against Northern Ireland in a 3-1 win.

#3 Benzema was not afraid of speaking his mind to senior players

When Benzema was drafted into first team at of Lyon, he had to interact with the already established first team players. And the crop of first team players Lyon had back then was including the likes of Florent Malouda, Sylvian Wiltord, Eric Abidal and Michael Essien.

When Benzema first met these players, he was subjected to jokes which he didn't find very pleasant. He reacted spontaneously by replying, “Do not laugh, I'm here to take your place.”

And he backed his claims. He went on to establish himself as Lyon’s favoured number 9. He scored a total of 66 goals in 148 appearances across all competitions before making the switch to Real Madrid.

#4 Striking similarities to Zinedine Zidane

In 2011, Benzema won the French Football Player of the Year which made him only the second French player based in Spain to win the award and also the second Real Madrid player to win the honour. The first was none other than the French great Zinedine Zidane.

Benzema was once compared to Zizou, to which he replied by saying, “It's a compliment to be compared to Zinedine Zidane, but we are different players.”

It is quite surprising to note that Benzema has won more French Football Player of the Year Awards than Zidane. Benzema has won it thrice while Zidane has won it only twice in his career.

#5 Benzema joined a clinic to lose weight

Benzema had been struggling to settle in the Spanish La Liga and was criticised by a number of pundits for his poor performances. In 2010, Laurent Blanc advised Benzema to work on his fitness and shed some weight in order to live up to his potential.

In 2011, before the new season was underway, on the advice of Zinedine Zidane and Laurent Blanc, Benzema joined a clinic in Italy to lose weight in order to make him more efficient as a player. The trick worked and Benzema scored 32 goals in all competitions that season – his most successful season as a Real Madrid player till date.

#6 Benzema scored the fastest goal in El Clasico history

It wasn’t Lionel Messi, and it wasn’t Cristiano Ronaldo. Benzema has scored the fastest goal in the history of El Clasico. Arguably the biggest match in world football right now with a host of stars on show with the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar and Gareth Bale, Benzema has outdone them in terms of scoring the fastest goal in the history of the fixture.

In 2011, Benzema scored just 21 seconds after kickoff to put Real Madrid ahead, although they lost 3-1 in the end. His record still remains intact.

A misplaced pass from Victor Valdes went directly to Angel Di Maria who tried to feed Benzema. The pass, blocked by Sergio Busquets, directly fell to Mesut Ozil who shot straight at Carles Puyol. The ball looped into the air falling kindly to Benzema, in line with the last defender, who smashed the ball from point-blank range into the net.

#7 French top scorer in La Liga history

In March 2012, Benzema scored a brace against Real Sociedad making him the French top scorer in La Liga history, overtaking former Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane. In the 7 years (and counting) that Benzema has been a part of Real Madrid, he has scored an impressive 140 goals in 292 games across all competitions compared to Zidane’s 49 goals in 225 appearances.

Benzema also has 62 assists in that period which makes an invaluable asset to Real Madrid. Zidane is also behind Benzema when it comes to assists with only 39 assists. In his time at Real Madrid, Benzema has won one Champions League title, one La Liga title, one FIFA Club World Cup, one European Super Cup, one Spanish Super Cup and two Copa Del Rey titles.

#8 Benzema\'s siblings are also footballers

Karim Benzema (R) with his brother Gressy

Benzema's younger brothers Gressy and Sabri Benzema are also footballers. While Gressy plays in the French sixth division with Vaulx-le-Velin, Sabri plays for the youth academy of the team in his hometown of Bron.

Like Karim, Gressy is also a striker who favoured futsal before he started taking an interest in football. He has also revealed how Karim gives him tips on how to play his game. Gressy often visits Karim and stays with him in Madrid.

As for Sabri, who Benzema speaks very highly of, he is a striker too. Karim once said that Sabri was going to a better player than he himself was. For that reason alone, Sabri was scouted by both Real Madrid and Olympique Lyon. Good going, Benzema brothers.

#9 Benzema has had his share of legal issues to deal with

In 2010, long before Benzema was arrested for blackmailing French national teammate Mathieu Valbuena, he had already been confronted by the legal authorities for a different issue. Benzema and teammate Franck Ribery had been alleged to have had paid to have sexual relations with an underaged prostitute – a claim Benzema clearly denied.

Later, the prosecutors asked the charges against the Real Madrid striker to be dismissed because he was unaware of her age. But the suit still went to trial.

Currently, Benzema is under investigation for allegations that he blackmailed Mathieu Valbuena over a sex-tape that features Valbuena and his girlfriend. This would most likely mean ramifications as the coach decides whether to take Benzema or Valbuena to Euro 2016 if they cannot reconcile their differences.