Lyon

Today we are going to look across the football career of Karim Benzema. Covering his youth to senior soccer years both with clubs and internationally, we will compare his performance and progress throughout the years. Here are the basics of Benzema’s player and personal profile, to find out more, keep on reading:

• DOB – 19^th December 1987
• Height – 1.85m
• Weight – 81kg
• Nationality – French
• Signed – 1^st July 2009
• Position – Striker

Benzema’s Youth Soccer History

Born on the 19^th December 1987, Karim Mostafa Benzema started his football career in 1995 at only seven years old with the under 10 squad for Bron Terraillon SC which was the local club of his hometown. Not too long into his time with SC Bron, the squad playe

The UEFA Champions League is one of the most watched soccer tournaments across Europe as we see the top teams from each league compete to become the ultimate squad. Taking place during the summer of 2019 we saw the qualifying rounds of the 2019/20 season begin and after a short break the competition commenced with the group stages starting on the 17^th September and due to end in December ready for the knockout phases to start in early 2020. As the group stages are well underway, we thought we would take a brief look at match day and the qualifiers of this season’s Champions League tournament. So, if you are interested in finding out more about the fixtures then keep on reading.

Champions League Qualifiers

The Champions League Qualifiers for 2019/20 started on the 25^th June and ended on the 28^th August 2019. Within these stages of the football tournament the final qualifying teams were determined for the competition.

In the f

Along with the ongoing tournaments such as the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, Primeria, the Champions League is also in progress. This league incorporates a range of clubs from all of the leagues across Europe and is a widely celebrated by fans worldwide as they cheer on their favourite soccer team once more. Currently in the group stages, the Champions League is where clubs across the globe compete on the soccer field to eventually lift the trophy at the end of the games – thus gaining Champions status.

Within this blog post we will take a look at how the tournament is panning out at the moment and what we can expect from the clubs in the coming weeks. From looking at how the matches have been scheduled and the groups picked, to the highest scoring player and team, you will find out all about this here.

How are the Teams Grouped?

After the initial play-offs had taken place prior to the scheduled group matches, the teams were whittled down to t

Starting on the 20^th July and running for 3 weeks, the International Champions Cup tournament is a fantastic way to get in the mood for the upcoming soccer seasons worldwide. As the winners have now been announced and celebrated, we have most certainly got a taster as to what is in store in the tournaments on the horizon.

Within this blog post we will have a look at the performance of the trophy winners, the clubs overall and look into the most outstanding player during the games. With this analysis we are able to picture how the rest of the games will pan out this time round, and see which clubs need to give it their all to redeem themselves from their play during the International Champions Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur Win the International Champions Cup

Out of the 3 matches played against Roma, Barcelona and Milan, Tottenham Hotspur managed to successfully net themselves 7 goals and thus winning the trophy. Closely behind them were Borussia Dortmund

World Cup fever swept the nation over the past few months, and now the tournament has finished the spectators’ attentions are waiting for the next big thing. After France achieved the 1^st place trophy in Russia, the interest in watching Ligue 1 clubs compete has greatly increased.

Due to this curiosity when it comes to the French club teams, we thought we would put together this article to discuss all things French football. From the upcoming players to how the make-up of the French soccer leagues is, you will find this all out below.

About Ligue 1 and its Influence

Ligue 1 is the top tier league for French club teams with the Ligue 2 and Champtionnat National beneath it. Therefore, the highest scoring sides are seen in the top division compared to those of smaller lesser skilled ones.

How the transition between these three work, is that at the end of a tournament, the bottom three teams are relegated to the league beneath it and t

1st November 2017. By Ryan Baldi.
The loss of Alexandre Lacazette, Corentin Tolisso and Maxim Gonalons stripped Lyon of three of their most important players this summer. The former left for Arsenal after the Gunners broke their club transfer record to temp OL into parting with their prized asset, and it was a similar story with Tolisso's move to German champions Bayern Munich, while Gonalons, who had captained the French side, joined Roma for just €5 million.

In a matter of weeks, Lyon had lost their most prolific and reliable marksman, their energetic and technically gifted young midfield dynamo, and their leader and lynchpin in the middle of the park.

They reinvested much of the roughly €100 million recouped from the sales, with, among others, Dominican international striker Mariano Diaz coming in fro

1st May 2016. By Ryan Baldi.
There has been a breakout star in French football this season, making waves with Nice. An exciting winger capable of dribbling past several opponents in a single move, and with a wand of a left foot able to bend the ball into the top corner from almost any angle.

This exciting new star is not some teenage sensation. He is not a newcomer to Ligue 1, imbued with the confident swagger of youth. He is 29-year-old former Newcastle United player Hatem Ben Arfa.

Ben Arfa has been in outstanding form this season. His 17 league goals from 31 games has elevated Nice to fourth position in Ligue 1, just two points behind second-placed Lyon and genuine contenders for Champions League qualification.

The former Olympique Lyonnais player has regularly produced individual trickery and showboating skills that have been shared around the world in the form of GIFs on twitter or YouTube highlight videos.

Can anyone keep Paris Saint Germain from winning a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title in 2016? With competition in the French top-flight officially on hold until January 8^th, it certainly doesn't seem like it. In just 19 games, the Parisians have managed to put 19 points between themselves and their nearest competitors. With a record of 16 wins, three draws, and zero losses, they are not only the single undefeated football club on the table, but the only team to have fewer than three losses so far this season. PSG have also won seven more games than any other soccer squad in the division-a remarkable feat that almost makes their 2015 2016 Ligue 1 title seem like a foregone conclusion.

The Hunt for an Undefeated Season

Paris Saint Germain, of course, have been no strangers to success, as of late. Since the 2012 2013 season, they've managed three Ligue 1 titles, one Coupe de France, two Coupe de la Ligue trophies,

Following Ligue 1 2015 - 16 week 15 three-time consecutive champions Paris Saint Germain still have yet to drop a game. The reigning title holders won once again on Saturday, beating Troyes in a 4-1 home match. It's the ninth league victory in a row for the Parisians, who showed signs of weakness in mid-September when they drew two matches in a row, but who have been borderline flawless ever since. PSG have only conceded five goals in those nine matches (while scoring 27) and only allowed Troyes to net a point in the closing minutes of Saturday's match.

The nine-game winning streak has made the wearers of the PSG home shirt 2015/16 more or less untouchable on this season's Ligue 1 standings table. With 41 points and a goal difference of +29, the Parisians lead by a landslide over current second-placers Caen. Following their own 4-1 victory over the weekend-against Bordeaux-Caen have the second-best win percentage in the league, with nine wins from their first 15 games. Still,

Already, it looks as if Paris Saint Germain will be unstoppable in their campaign to win a fourth straight title in France's Ligue 1. The Parisians have now won seven in a row in the league, following an entertaining 5-0 home win against Toulouse this past weekend. They remain the only undefeated football club on the standings table, having managed 11 wins, two draws, 31 goals, and 35 points in the first 13 weeks of the 2015/16 French Ligue 1 season.

In the context of PSG's dominance, the remainder of the 2015/16 Ligue 1 has already turned into a race for second place. The current runners-up, Olympique Lyonnais, are 10 points back in the standings despite the season being just a third of the way finished. In all likelihood, Lyon and their other close challengers (Saint Etienne, Caen, and Angers) will be fighting for second place in the 2015/16 Ligue 1.

Lyon vs. Saint Etienne

That fact doesn't make the battles