Karim Benzema is in the spotlight again for his problems off the field. The Real Madrid striker faces a prison sentence for having allegedly cooperated with a friend of his who tried to blackmail Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Mathieu Valbuena.
The French forward has had a very controversial personal life since he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu. This is not the first time he has paid a visit to the Police Station, nor the first he faces a trial.
Here at Real Madrid News we’ve spent a few hours searching in our archives for all the scandals Benzema has been involved in. We’ve found at least seven incidents that have damaged the club’s reputation and could have been easily avoided:
7. Two car accidents in his first season
Benzema arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 and he had his first encounter with the Spanish police pretty soon. In November that year, he crashed his Audi Q7 into a fence and a tree in the residential area where he lives. And just one month later, in his Christmas holidays in Madagascar, he also suffered a car accident while he was driving a Lamborghini.
6. Two nights of sex with a transsexual prostitute
In September 2013, a Belgian newspaper revealed Benzema had paid 8,000 euros to spend two nights with transsexual prostitute Victoria Dorval. The woman claimed “Benzema knew about her transsexualism, and he didn’t mind.” Dorval also claimed to have had a sexual encounter with rapper Booba, a close friend of Benzema, but both the footballer and the musician denied this.
5. Reckless driving in Ibiza
In June 2011, the Spanish police fined Benzema with 250 euros for reckless driving in Ibiza. Apparently, the footballer was caught participating in an illegal race.
4. Suspended one year without driving license
In 2013, Benzema was caught driving at 216 kilometers per hour (134 mph) in a motorway close to his house, more than twice the maximum speed allowed in that road. A Porsche rented by Real Madrid was caught driving at Benzema’s side at 256 km/h (159 mph) in what seemed an illegal race. He faced a prison sentence of six months, but ended up being suspended with one year without driving license. It was never revealed who the other driver was.
3. Caught driving with the license suspended
The France international didn’t seem to care much about the fact that his driving license had been removed. He has been caught three times without a driving license. Benzema always claimed he had a valid French driving license when he was fined, and he will have to prove it next November 23rd, when the trial will take place.
2. Mathieu Valbuena blackmail plot
The Real Madrid striker has been charged for having allegedly participated in a sex tape blackmail plot against his international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena. Benzema spent 12 taken into custody and was released after questioning, but he will probably have to face a trial for having taken part in the extortion attempt. French media have claimed Benzema acted as a messenger between the blackmailer, who was a childhood friend of his, and Valbuena.
1. Underage prostitution scandal
In 2008, Benzema was involved in an underage prostitution scandal in France. Him and Franck Ribery allegedly paid Zahia Dehar for sex when she was 17 years old. The players could have faced up to three years in prison, but in 2011 prosecutors asked for the charges to be dropped, since neither Benzema nor Ribery were aware that Dehar was a minor. Thus, both footballers were absolved.
