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Benzema Says “No Thanks” to Algeria

December 11th, 2006 | By: Laurie | 15 Comments »

2008 UPDATE to this post: If you’ve clicked on this post looking for info in Karim Benzema as he heads into Euros, we recommend that you check out this link to our Karim Benzema Euro Player profile. Also be sure to stop by our Euro 2008 main page, our Lyon page, and the France homepage for this site.

Trivia question: Which National team turned down Zinedine Zidane for being “too slow” (no, I am NOT making this up) before France snatched him up? Yup, that would be Algeria.

I guess they were trying not to make the same mistake twice when they approached eighteen-year-old Lyon striker Karim Benzema last week about playing for the Algerian team. But sorry, Algerian soccer guys. This one’s ours too.

Benzema’s parents may be from Algeria, but his heart is solid French bleu. According to Sky Sports and Somalinet News, Benzema turned down the opportunity to play for the Algerian national team. “Algeria is my parents’ country and it is in my heart, but I will play for the French national team,” he said. Karim was called up for France for the first time for November’s France-Greece game, but wasn’t able to play because of a thigh injury (which still has him sidelined for Lyon.)

Karim turns nineteen on either the 17th or the 19th of this month. (My sources conflict, although I tend to trust Wikipedia’s 19th, because we all know Wikipedia is never wrong.)

So how about we all chip in to send him a gorgeous French supermodel or two as a birthday present and reward for his loyalty?

(See, Gonzalo? This could all have been yours.)

Tags: Euro 2008, Player News, Team News

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Comments

By Laurie | December 11th, 2006 at 6:57 pm

So I’m looking at my picture. What the heck does a Lyon jersey really say??

–NAULT
–UCKS

What do you think? (Maybe I should not be asking this. Keep in mind that the system automatically screens out profanity.)

Posted from United States

By Sam | December 11th, 2006 at 9:29 pm

I assume very much you’re kidding, but just in case you aren’t, it’s Renault Trucks, but their sponsor now is Novotel/Ticket Restaurant.

Benzema is the next Trezeguet for sure (how does Benzegol sound?).

Posted from Canada

By Laurie | December 11th, 2006 at 10:18 pm

I was partly serious. I had figured out the Renault part. The rest of it made me nervous. I NEVER notice sponsor logos on jerseys. (Which kind of defeats their advertising purpose, doesn’t it?)

And to me, Benzegol sounds like an acne medicine.

Posted from United States

By CR19 | December 12th, 2006 at 2:19 am

Ronaldo needs a spanking from his mother.

Posted from Canada

By blah | December 12th, 2006 at 8:39 am

i think he should play for Algeria.

Posted from Canada

By Sam | December 12th, 2006 at 5:37 pm

Well he is born in France, and come on, when you have the caliber to have Laurie talk about you, you’d usually go for France, right? Instead of trying to qualify in vain for the African Cup of Nations?

Posted from Canada

By Laurie | December 12th, 2006 at 7:33 pm

Sam, you are SO right. In the future, the measuring stick that will be applied to ALL potential French players will be: Is he good enough to get talked about in Laurie’s France.worldcupblog.org?

(I will use this power only for good.)

Posted from United States

By hhhhh | December 12th, 2007 at 5:00 pm

BENZEMA IS ALGERIAN AND PROUD AND HE IS A MUSLIM HE DOES NOT NEED FRENCH GIRLS FOR HIS BIRTHDAY

By Aren | December 12th, 2007 at 6:31 pm

calm downnnn lol here we go again with the religious comments. lol. religion is a tool to keep people scared and for them to become a lamb. lol. let him play where he wants to play. the kid looks amazing, lol ooops i said kid hes 19 same age as me, BTW amazing goal against rangers today.

Posted from United States

By Mikael | February 18th, 2008 at 4:16 pm

I think it is a good idea for him to play for france as he has lived there all his life.

and his talent won’t be wasted either.

but he is a muslim, and i dont see why him playing for france would stop that. Your french super model present idea is really strange though, there are good looking girls in every country, and if you give someone a women for a present, its prostitution.

Posted from United Kingdom

By Eros | February 18th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

I never liked this, Benzema is not french, he is Algerian. If you dont have french blood in you, what makes you french? the fact that you were born there? absolutely not!

Also I dont like the fact that most of France’s national team, is NOT FRENCH! cmon!!

I love people like Cameronesi, and Vieri, who followed their blood, not their place of birth!

Posted from Canada

By glatisant | February 19th, 2008 at 8:17 am

Oh yes, and Benzema should not be allowed to consider himself French because *you* don’t like it. Yawn.

Religious bigotry cuts both ways, whether you’re for or against.

Mikael, Laurie was joking.

Posted from United States

By Amine | February 21st, 2008 at 9:20 am

The answer to what you call a “trivia question” is wrong! The Algerian football federation never turned down Zidane! It’s pure invention according to the federation and Zidane himself!
When a french-algerian is good and chose France, he is a good french citizen. We love him…
What about the anonymous algerian that live in a Lyon’s suburbs for instance who is just looking for a normal job? He is just an immigrant that vry often should go back to his country… even if he was born in France! Pathetic!

Benzema is a good talented player and I wish him the best both in club and with the French national team.

Don’t forget that other young very talented french-algerian players are turned down by their clubs just because they wih to play for Algeria! Source: One of my friend who is a soccer agent (100% French).

Posted from Canada

By Kabyle | February 21st, 2008 at 9:47 am

That’s no invention, Zidane was indeed followed closely and recommended to Kermali (the old fart coaching the Algerian National Team in the 90s). After seeing him, he said and I quote: “This guy is too fat and slow… he wouldn’t even get to warm the bench of mighty Algeria!” LOL!
Benzema will be a great player and will be a French legend: he’s a complete striker and very talented. Unfortunately, talented players of Algerian origin will always choose to play with France. A remedy to this is to get them to play for Algeria in the junior team before they explode into the scene and get called by France. Once they play for Algeria even once, they are bound by FIFA rules to play for us forever. The only inconvenience is that they will get to lock horns with Togo and Sierra Leone instead of the likes of England and Brazil