Daily Nation Newspaper

2022 FIFA WORLD CUP - PLAYER PROFILE

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LUSAKA- SuperSport viewers on DStv and GOtv will be counting down the days to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with the tournament set to run from 21 November to 18 December and provide the most thrilling distillati­on of ‘The Beautiful Game’.

DStv and GOtv is the only true home of football in Africa, offering a range and depth of action that no other rival can match – it’s literally ‘Unbeatable Football’! If you’re going to spend your money on something, it may as well be on the best football in the world.

One of the players who could light up the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the colours of the de fending champions France is striker Karim Benzema. The 34-year-old, like a fine wine, has gotten better with age and has establishe­d himself as one of the top attacking players on the planet in the past couple of years.

The Lyon-born player has been especially brilliant for Real Madrid, recently un derlining his brilliance with a hat-trick for Los Blancos which helped them complete a stunning comeback in a UEFA Champions League knockout tie against Paris

Saint-Germain.

At 34 years and 80 days, Benzema became the oldest player to score a Champions League hat-trick, surpassing Olivier Giroud (ironically, given that the two have had a sometimes-acrimoniou­s rival ry), who was 34 years and 63 days when he hit a treble for Chelsea at Sevilla in 2020.

“We needed the fans, and this is for them. It was a very difficult game, but we pushed till the end and we deserve the win. We lost the first leg, they went 1-0 up, but our fans pushed us to give everything right to the final whistle,” said Benzema after the match.

"Benzema is a fantastic leader of our team, a fantastic forward,” said Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. “I'm very proud of Karim's attitude.

Benzema showed again why he’s the number one striker in the world. It’s time he was at the top of the Ballon d’Or rankings."

Real Madrid goalkeep er Thibaut Courtois agrees: "Karim is, along with [Robert] Lewandowsk­i, the best num ber nine in the world right now. He's a great player, a real captain, and he carried the team to victory with his goals and his class."

Benzema missed out on the last World Cup, with coach Didier Deschamps overlook ing the player, but he is sure to feature for Les Bleus at Qatar 2022 if he keeps up his ex traordinar­y level of form – as well as the fact that he has im mense experience, with over 90 internatio­nal caps under his belt.

No rival can compete with SuperSport’s coverage. Our viewers on DStv and GOtv enjoy an unrivalled selection of football from around the world!

Don’t miss the New Football Season on SuperSport on DStv and GOtv. Visit www. dstv.com and www.gotvafri ca.com to subscribe or up grade, and join in on the ex citement. And while you’re on the move, you can stream matches on the DStv App.

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