Karim Benzema (born 19 December 1987 in Lyon) (pronounced /bЙ›nЛ€ziЛђmЙ™/ or /bЙ›nЛ€zeЙЄmЙ™/) is a French footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais and the France national team. Benzema has been heralded as one of the leading players of France's new generation and has, to a lesser extent, been compared to the Brazilian Ronaldo by several former players and pundits, primarily due to his prolific scoring, great physique, effective dribbling, and great vision.His nickname is Le PhГ©nomГЁne, the French variation of "The Phenomenon", which is Ronaldo's nickname. Ronaldo is also Benzema's favorite player.

Benzema has come through the youth academy at Lyon and has been capped at senior level for France. He played in Euro 2008 and was the top goalscorer in Ligue 1 for the 2007–08 season just 3 seasons after making his professional debut. This was also his breakthrough season which saw him earn many awards and a new contract which resulted in him becoming one of the highest-paid footballers in the French league.