- George Dempsey
- 29 May 2024
MLS acca tips and predictions: Lionel Messi to lead Inter Miami’s rout of Atlanta United
There’s a full fixture list in MLS on Wednesday night (0030 BST Thurs) including Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami facing Atlanta United.
Christian Benteke is a professional football player who plays as a striker for DC United in the MLS as well as for the Belgian national team.
Benteke played for JS Pierreuse and Standard Liege as a youngster before joining KRC Genk.
He made his breakthrough at senior level there and then subsequently moved back to Standard Liege in 2009, playing a part in their 2008/09 Belgian First Division title win. Benteke then had loan spells at Kortrijk and Mechelen.
The striker returned to Genk in 2011 and his second spell at the club was when his star first began to rise.
Benteke scored 20 goals in 41 appearances before signing for Aston Villa in the Premier League on a four-year deal for a reported value of £7million on August 31, 2012.
He made further moves to Liverpool and then Crystal Palace before moving to the MLS to play for DC United in 2022.
Christian Benteke establishes himself in England
Benteke impressed in his first season at Villa Park and was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, finishing as the runner-up to Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale.
Benteke scored 23 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions in his first season at Aston Villa, leading to speculation of a move elsewhere.
After reportedly submitting and subsequently retracting a transfer request in July 2013, Benteke signed a new four-year deal with Villa.
Villa did not enjoy much success during Benteke's time at the club, which was always bound to come to an end eventually.
However, he stayed and scored 11 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions in 2013/14 and 15 goals in 34 matches in 2014/15.
Christian Benteke hits the big time at Liverpool
On July 22, 2015, Liverpool signed Benteke after reportedly meeting his release clause of £32.5million. He was signed while Brendan Rodgers was still in charge of the team.
Benteke scored against Swindon Town in a 2-1 friendly win in his first appearance for his new club.
Shortly after Benteke was signed, Rodgers lost his job after a poor start to the 2015/16 Premier League season. He was replaced by Jurgen Klopp.
Benteke did not fare particularly well under the guidance of Klopp and left after having scored 10 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions for the Reds.
Christian Benteke moves to Crystal Palace
On August 27, 2016, Crystal Palace signed Benteke for a deal reported to be worth £27million with a potential extra £5million in add-ons.
He had an impressive first season at Palace, scoring 17 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions.
In Benteke's next three seasons at the Eagles, he only scored a combined total of six goals though. He then netted 10 in 31 appearances in 2020/21.
He scored a further four goals in the 2021/22 season, before leaving the club on a free transfer after netting 37 goals in 177 appearances for the Eagles.
Moving to the MLS
Just hours before the 2022/23 season was due to begin Crystal Palace confirmed Wayne Rooney's DC United had agreed to sign Benteke for a fee of around £4.7million.
He scored his first goal in a 1-0 win over Inter Miami in September, his only strike in seven appearances during the 2022 season.
Christian Benteke and the Red Devils
Despite being born in Kinshasa, Benteke represented Belgium at U17, U18, U19 and U21 level. He was part of the Belgian team at the 2007 FIFA U17 World Cup in South Korea, appearing in three matches and scoring once.
On May 19, 2010, Benteke made his senior debut for the Belgian national team in a friendly against Bulgaria in Brussels.
Although he played his part for Belgium during qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he was ruled out of the tournament itself in Brazil with a ruptured achilles tendon.
Benteke featured in Belgium's UEFA Euro 2016 campaign in France, which saw them eliminated at the quarter-final stage in a shock defeat to Wales.
Benteke was left out of the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, but made Belgium's squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.
He came off the bench in Belgium's 2-0 win over
Finland in the group stage, but was not used in the Red Devils' other four games.
Benteke was not selected for the Belgium's World Cup squad in Qatar 2022.
Christian Benteke's personal life
Benteke is reportedly a Christian.
His younger brother, Jonathan, had a stint at Crystal Palace and is currently on the books of URSL Vise.
He reportedly got married in 2017 to Fortune, with whom he has a son named Jaden and a daughter called Nylah.
Benteke has previously spoken of his love for Liverpool's rivals,
Arsenal, and his former Genk team-mate, the late Anele Ngcongca, said in an interview with
FARPost that Benteke has always yearned to play for the Gunners despite ending up at the Reds.
Christian Benteke's net worth
Benteke is one of the highest-paid players in the MLS with a base salary of $4million per-year ($4.183m guaranteed).
