LIKE A MODEL: Benzema, Real Madrid veteran who is an underrated genius

Hello, everyone! Welcome to All Football column LIKE A MODEL! Here we will bring you the sexiest & hottest men in the football world. So just feast your eyes and give your points for them. The handsome footballer of this week that we choose is Real Madrid’s striker Karim Benzema.

Benzema was born in Lyon and began his football career with local club Bron Terraillon. The 9-year-old Benzema was spotted by the Olympique Lyonnais' scouts and was quickly signed into the Olympique Lyonnais' youth academy.

In the 2007–08 season, Benzema became a starter and had a breakthrough year scoring over 30 goals as Lyon won its seventh straight league title. One year later, Benzema arrived at Real Madrid from Lyon for a fee of €35 million. 

Since his arrival, Benzema has enjoyed a love-hate relationship with the Madrid fan base. While some acknowledge the talent he possesses, some just write him off as a nobody. But, the truth is, you need to be special to spend 10 years at a club like Real Madrid - where the standards demanded are almost inhuman.

With Real Madrid, Benzema has won almost everything, La Liga, in 2011-2012, the Copa del Rey in 2011, and above all, he has played an important role in Madrid's great achievement of winning four UEFA Champions Leagues in five seasons, also known as "La Duodecima". 

Do you agree with us? Post your comments and share your favourite photos of Benzema! Meanwhile, you can click our column for more past handsome footballers and tell us which player you want to see the next week!