App.	Minutes on Pitch	Goals	Av. Rating	Star Man
2	168	0	6.00	0

A product of Lyon's youth academy, Benzema is very capable of playing as the main striker in Lyon's preferred 4-3-3 formation, but he can also play on both wings. In the 2006-07 season, after forming an understanding with new manager Alain Perrin, he was given the central role in which he responded with 24 goals in 37 games. The 20-year-old was asked to play for the Algerian national team in December 2006, but refused, stating that he would rather play for France. He then earned his first cap on March 28, 2007 in a friendly against Austria that ended in a 1-0 victory with Benzema scoring the only goal. He has since then become a regular part of the French national team.