Christian Benteke

2.1. Early career in Belgium

Benteke began his youth football career at JS Pierreuse, followed by stints at Standard Liège and later Genk. He rejoined Standard Liège in January 2009 and played a part in their 2008-09 Belgian championship triumph, scoring three goals in 12 matches. On 7 August 2009, he joined KV Kortrijk on a season-long loan, where he showcased his goal-scoring ability by netting 14 goals in the Belgian Pro League, including five goals in the championship play-offs, contributing to the club's best-ever finish.

The following season, he was loaned to KV Mechelen as part of the transfer of Aloys Nong, who moved from Mechelen to Standard Liège. His spell at Mechelen was less prolific, with seven goals from 25 appearances. Benteke returned to Genk from Standard in August 2011 for an undisclosed fee. During the 2011-12 season, he scored 16 goals and provided nine assists in 20 starts. After beginning the 2012-13 season with three goals in five league matches, Benteke became the subject of a €6 million offer from Premier League club Aston Villa in August 2012.

2.2. Aston Villa

On 31 August 2012, Benteke completed a move to Premier League club Aston Villa, signing a four-year contract for a reported fee of around 7.00 M GBP. He expressed that joining the Premier League was a dream come true.

On 15 September 2012, Benteke scored on his debut for Aston Villa in a 2-0 win against Swansea City, coming on as a substitute. His goal came from a header that he lifted over the goalkeeper before tapping it in. Villa manager Paul Lambert praised his performance, calling him "unplayable." He then scored Villa's only goal in a 1-1 home draw with Norwich City and added two more goals in a 3-2 League Cup victory over Swindon Town. He secured the winner in a 1-0 Premier League victory against Reading at Villa Park on 27 November, continuing his impressive start in English football.

Benteke scored Villa's fourth goal in a 4-1 League Cup win over Norwich City at Carrow Road. On 15 December, he netted two goals and assisted another with a back-heel to Andreas Weimann in Villa's 3-1 win against Liverpool at Anfield. Lambert lauded his performance as "unbelievable." Around Christmas, Tottenham Hotspur manager André Villas-Boas reportedly showed interest in signing Benteke.

After a brief three-game goalless spell, Benteke scored Villa's first penalty in almost a year in a 2-2 away draw against Swansea City. He reached his 10th goal of the season with a 28 yd strike against West Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion in another 2-2 draw, a goal nominated for January's goal of the month competition. He also netted Villa's first goal in their 2-1 League Cup semi-final victory over Bradford City, though Bradford won 4-3 on aggregate. Former England striker Michael Owen praised Benteke, calling him "unbelievable." Benteke continued his scoring form with a goal against Newcastle United and a brace against Everton in a 3-3 draw. On 10 February 2013, he scored his 15th goal in all competitions, a penalty in a 2-1 victory against West Ham United, Villa's first league win in eight games.

Benteke scored a deflected goal in a 2-1 victory at Reading, marking the club's 1,000th goal in the Premier League. The following week, he scored the third goal to seal a 3-2 win over Queens Park Rangers, and another in a 3-1 win against relegation rivals Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. His impressive debut season earned him a nomination for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, where he finished as runner-up to Gareth Bale. On 29 April, Benteke scored his first hat-trick for Aston Villa in a 6-1 thrashing of Sunderland. These goals saw him surpass Dwight Yorke's record of 18 Premier League goals in a season for an Aston Villa player and reach the 20-goal mark across all competitions, a feat not achieved by a Villa player since Juan Pablo Ángel in the 2003-04 season. On 11 May, Benteke scored Villa's only goal in a 2-1 loss to Chelsea but was sent off in the second half, missing the last game of the season. He concluded the season with 19 Premier League goals and 23 goals across all competitions.

Benteke's 23 goals in the 2012-13 season led to transfer speculation, and in early July, he submitted a transfer request. However, after discussions with manager Paul Lambert, he withdrew the request and signed a new four-year contract with the club a fortnight later. In pre-season, he scored a hat-trick against Crewe Alexandra in a 5-1 victory, finishing pre-season with seven goals in five appearances, including two against Málaga.

On 17 August 2013, Benteke scored twice, one from a penalty and one headed goal from a missed penalty rebound, in Aston Villa's surprising 3-1 away win against Arsenal on the opening day of the 2013-14 Premier League season. Four days later, he scored against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a 2-1 defeat. He scored his fourth goal in as many games as Villa comfortably beat League One side Rotherham United 3-0 in the League Cup second round. His fifth goal came against Newcastle United in a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park. However, his strong start was interrupted by a hip flexor injury sustained against Norwich City, ruling him out for up to six weeks, though he made an earlier comeback as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur.

After a 12-game goalless drought due to nagging injuries, Benteke finally scored against Arsenal in a 1-2 defeat on 13 January 2014. He followed this with goals in back-to-back games against Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion, in a 2-2 draw and a 4-3 victory respectively. On 2 March, he scored a superb overhead volley and a header in a 4-1 home victory against Norwich City. On 3 April 2014, Benteke suffered a rupture of his achilles tendon during training, ruling him out for at least six months and forcing him to miss the remainder of the season and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

On 2 November 2014, Benteke received a straight red card for pushing Ryan Mason of Tottenham Hotspur, an incident that led to both clubs being fined 20.00 K GBP by The FA. He scored his second goal of the season against Manchester United in a 1-1 draw at Villa Park. It wasn't until early March that he scored his next goal, a 94th-minute penalty in a local derby against West Bromwich Albion. On 7 April, he scored his second Premier League hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Queens Park Rangers. Twelve days later, he equalised as Villa came from behind to defeat Liverpool 2-1 to reach the 2015 FA Cup Final, their first in fifteen years. On 2 May, he scored twice in a 3-2 win at home to Everton, taking his tally to eleven goals in nine matches since the arrival of Tim Sherwood as manager. Six days later, Benteke was named the Premier League Player of the Month for April. He played the full 90 minutes in the FA Cup Final as Villa lost 4-0 to Arsenal, with Benteke being beaten to a header by Per Mertesacker for Arsenal's third goal. This was his 101st and final match for Aston Villa, having scored 49 goals in total, 42 of which were in the Premier League.

2.3. Liverpool

On 22 July 2015, Liverpool completed the signing of Benteke on a long-term contract after meeting his release clause of 32.50 M GBP. At the time, this made him their second most expensive transfer ever. He made his debut on 2 August in a pre-season friendly against Swindon Town, putting Liverpool into the lead with a volley in a 2-1 win. Benteke was assigned the number 9 jersey.

On 9 August, Benteke made his competitive debut by starting in a 1-0 win at Stoke City. Eight days later, he scored his first league goal for Liverpool in a 1-0 home win over newly promoted Bournemouth. On 12 September, he scored an overhead kick in a 3-1 defeat to rivals Manchester United.

After missing several games due to injury, Benteke returned to score in consecutive games as a substitute on 25 and 31 October: a 1-1 draw against Southampton and a 3-1 away win against Chelsea. On 26 December, he replaced compatriot Divock Origi and scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over league leaders Leicester City, curtailing their nine-game unbeaten run. On 30 December, Benteke scored the winner for the second consecutive match, securing a 1-0 victory over Sunderland.

On 8 January 2016, Benteke was named captain for Liverpool's FA Cup third-round tie with Exeter City. On 6 March, he scored a penalty in a 2-1 win against Crystal Palace. On 1 May, he came on as a substitute and scored in a 3-1 loss to Swansea City. On 11 May 2016, Benteke scored his tenth goal of his only season at Liverpool with a 92nd-minute equaliser in the team's final home game of the 2015-16 season, a 1-1 draw with Chelsea. Benteke often found himself on the bench as he struggled to fit into manager Jürgen Klopp's style of play. He ended his tenure at Liverpool after making 42 appearances and scoring 10 goals.

2.4. Crystal Palace

On 20 August 2016, fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace completed the signing of Benteke on a four-year contract for a fee of 27.00 M GBP, which could rise by a further 5.00 M GBP, bringing the total fee to 32.00 M GBP. This made him the most expensive signing in Crystal Palace's history at the time. Three days later, he made his debut for Palace in a 2-0 League Cup win against Blackpool.

On 10 September 2016, Benteke scored his first goal for Palace in a 2-1 victory against Middlesbrough in his second league game. On 24 September 2016, Benteke headed home a goal against Sunderland in the 94th minute to cap Palace's comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2. On 3 December 2016, his birthday, he scored twice in a 3-0 win over Southampton that ended Palace's run of six consecutive defeats. A week later, he scored the equaliser in a 3-3 draw with Hull City. On 17 January 2017, Benteke scored a brace in a 2-1 FA Cup third round replay win against Bolton. On 31 January, his goal sealed a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth, giving new manager Sam Allardyce his first Premier League win with the club. On 1 April, Benteke scored the winner in a 2-1 victory over league leaders Chelsea. Benteke marked his return to Anfield, his former club Liverpool, with two goals in a 2-1 win on 23 April 2017. He finished his first season with Palace as their top-scorer, with 15 league goals and 17 in total.

The following season, 2017-18, was less successful for Benteke; he did not score until December and finished the season with just three league goals in 30 appearances. In an injury-affected 2018-19 season, he scored once in 19 appearances across all competitions. Despite a continued loss of form in the early 2019-20 campaign, he signed a contract extension in October, keeping him at Crystal Palace until the end of the 2020-21 season.

On 6 December 2020, Benteke scored a brace in a 5-1 away win over West Bromwich Albion. Ten days later, he scored in a 1-1 draw against West Ham United before being sent off. On 22 February 2021, he scored a 90+5 minute volley to secure a 2-1 victory against relegation rivals Brighton & Hove Albion. On 16 May 2021, Benteke headed in a goal against his former club Aston Villa as Palace twice came from behind to win 3-2. This was Benteke's 31st headed goal in the Premier League, joining the top-10 all-time list, equal with Tim Cahill. With a goal against Arsenal in Palace's next match, Benteke scored in four consecutive Premier League games for the first time in over eight years. On 8 May, he opened the scoring in a 2-0 win over Sheffield United, which secured Palace's Premier League status. Following a successful season with 10 Premier League goals, Benteke signed a further contract extension in June 2021, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2022-23 season.

2.5. D.C. United

In August 2022, Benteke signed for MLS club D.C. United as a Designated Player on a two-and-a-half-year contract. On 18 September 2022, Benteke scored his first goal for D.C. United in a 1-0 win over Inter Miami. He ended the 2022 season with D.C. United having tallied one goal in seven appearances.

On 29 April 2023, in a game against Charlotte FC, Benteke scored an over-the-head bicycle kick to lead D.C. United to a 3-1 win. Benteke received his first MLS Goal of the Matchday for his goal and was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday, his third of the season. On 23 September, Benteke netted his first hat-trick for the club in a 5-3 loss to the New York Red Bulls. He finished his first full season with D.C. United tallying 14 goals in 31 appearances.

In the opening game of the 2024 MLS season on 24 February 2024, Benteke scored a hat-trick against rival club New England Revolution, securing a 3-1 victory. He would score his second hat-trick of the season in a 3-2 win at Atlanta United on 11 May, a feat which awarded him Player of the Matchday for the second time in the season. Benteke finished the season winning the 2024 MLS Golden Boot with 23 goals scored across 30 appearances, setting the club's record for the most goals scored, 25, across all competitions in a single season.

3.1. Youth national teams

Benteke was a member of the Belgium U17 team that participated in the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea. During the tournament, he played three games and scored once. He also featured for the Belgium U18, U19, and U21 national teams.

3.2. Senior national team

On 19 May 2010, Benteke made his senior debut for the Belgium national team in a friendly match against Bulgaria in Brussels, under his former Kortrijk coach, Georges Leekens, who had become the national coach. On 15 August 2012, in his fifth appearance for the national team, he scored his first goal in a 4-2 win against the Netherlands. Since then, he became a regular starter for Belgium under manager Marc Wilmots. On 29 May 2013, he scored twice in a 4-2 friendly victory against the United States in Cleveland, Ohio.

He scored two goals in seven appearances during qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, he was ruled out of the tournament finals due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. Benteke returned to Belgium's squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, scoring his first international goal in two years in a 5-0 defeat of Cyprus on 28 March 2015. He was selected for the final tournament in France and made his tournament debut in the second group game on 18 June, replacing Romelu Lukaku for the last seven minutes of a 3-0 win over the Republic of Ireland. He played three more minutes in place of the same player four days later in a victory over Sweden, but took no further part as the Belgians reached the quarter-finals and lost to Wales.

On 10 October 2016, Benteke set a record for the fastest goal in a World Cup match-either qualifying or the finals-when he scored after 8.1 seconds against Gibraltar in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. This broke the 23-year-old record previously held by Davide Gualtieri. He scored twice more in the same match to complete his first hat-trick for Belgium.

He was initially named in the preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup but was ultimately left out of the final 23-man squad. On 17 May 2021, Benteke was included in the final 26-man squad for the re-arranged UEFA Euro 2020. He made one appearance in the tournament, during the final group stage match against Finland. On 29 March 2022, in a friendly against Burkina Faso, Benteke scored a goal, contributing to a 3-0 victory. He has accumulated 45 caps and scored 18 goals for the Belgian national team.

5.1. Club honours

• Standard Liège
  • Belgian First Division: 2008-09
• Aston Villa
  • FA Cup runner-up: 2014-15
• Liverpool
  • Football League Cup runner-up: 2015-16
  • UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2015-16

5.2. Individual honours

• Premier League Player of the Month: April 2015
• MLS Goal of the Matchday: April 2023
• MLS All-Star: 2023, 2024
• MLS Best XI: 2024
• MLS Golden Boot: 2024

6.1. Club statistics

6.2. International statistics

List of international goals scored by Christian Benteke

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	15 August 2012	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	5	Netherlands	1-0	4-2	Friendly
2	12 October 2012	Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia	7	Serbia	1-0	3-0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	16 October 2012	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	8	Scotland	1-0	2-0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	14 November 2012	Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania	9	Romania	1-0	1-2	Friendly
5	29 May 2013	FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, United States	12	United States	2-1	4-2	Friendly
6				4-1
7	28 March 2015	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	20	Cyprus	2-0	5-0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
8	10 October 2016	Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal	30	Gibraltar	1-0	6-0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
9				3-0
10				5-0
11	28 March 2017	Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi, Russia	32	Russia	1-2	3-3	Friendly
12				1-3
13	10 October 2019	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	35	San Marino	7-0	9-0	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
14	19 November 2019	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	37	Cyprus	1-1	6-1	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
15				6-1
16	30 March 2021	Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium	39	Belarus	6-0	8-0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
17	13 November 2021	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	43	Estonia	1-0	3-1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
18	29 March 2022	Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Anderlecht, Belgium	45	Burkina Faso	3-0	3-0	Friendly