Wahida Djebbara (born August 24, 1957) is the 66 year-old mother of Karim Benzema, the professional French footballer.
She achieved celebrity status after her son hit stardom as a footballer. Born Karim Mostafa Benzema, the multiple-capped French international plays for La Liga football club Real Madrid and was recently awarded the 2022 Ballon d’Or prize for the best footballer of the year on October 18, 2022.
Following this iconic achievement, which saw the Real Madrid striker become the first Frenchman to win French Football’s top prize since Zinedine Zidane, there’s been a lot of interest in his family and background. We take a look at certain members of his family beginning with his mother Wahida Djebbara.
Summary of Wahida Djebbara’s Bio
- Full Name: Wahida Djebbara
- Gender: Female
- Date of Birth: August 24, 1957
- Place of Birth: Lyon, France
- Wahida Djebbara’s Age: 66 years old
- Ethnicity: African
- Nationality: French
- Zodiac Sign: Virgo
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Islam
- Marital Status: Married
- Wahida Djebbara’s Husband: Hafid Benzema
- Wahida Djebbara’s Children: 9 – Karim Benzema (son), Sabri Benzema (son), Gressy Benzema (son), Farid Benzema (son), Lydia Benzema (daughter), Celia Benzema (daughter), Laeticia Benzema (daughter), Sofia Benzema (daughter), and Nafissa Benzema (daughter).
- Hair Color: Black
- Eye Color: Black
- Famous for: Being 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Mostafa Benzema’s mother
Wahida Djebbara Has Algerian Roots
Wahida Djebbara was born on August 24, 1957, in Lyon, France. Her birth status allows her to identify as a French citizen and she has not deviated from doing so. What some people may not know though is the fact that the mother of the 4-time French Footballer of the year has an African ethnic heritage as a result of her Algerian roots.
Her parents are originally from Oran, a city on the northwest coast of the North African country. They reportedly moved to the city of Lyon, France, in the 1950s where they proceeded to give birth to Wahida Djebarra and her siblings. Aside from their Algerian heritage, not much is known about the Wahida’s parents and her siblings.
We can confirm that Wahida Djebbara was raised in a devout Islamic family and that she still actively practices the religion to date. With regard to her formal education background, we have no way of affirming the level of education Wahida was able to attain in her formative years or in the years that followed.
She Has Been Married For Over 30 Years
Wahida Djebbara is a happily married woman. Details of the early years of her relationship with Karim Benzema’s father, Hafid Benzema, such as when they met or when they eventually settled as man and wife, have yet to be unveiled. Although, there are unverified reports citing that they exchanged marital vows in a traditional Islamic ceremony.
The sketchy early beginnings notwithstanding, Wahida Djebbara and her husband Hafid Benzema have been a married couple for over 30 years and counting despite the myriad of challenges they have had to deal with in that time frame.
Wahid Has Nine Children With Her Husband
Wahid Djebbara has built a rather large family of eleven, nine of whom are the children she has with her husband during their lengthy, yet successful marriage. For the most part, the public and the media are well aware of her most famous child, Karim Mostafa Benzema, who she had on December 19, 1987, in Lyon, France.
Aside from the 2022 Ballon d’Or recipient, Wahida Djebbara gave birth to an additional three sons namely Sabri Benzema, Gressy Benzema, and Farid Benzema, and five daughters namely Lydia Benzema, Celia Benzema, Laeticia Benzema, Sofia Benzema, and Nafissa Benzema.
It’s not unheard of for large families to be out of touch with one another but the Benzema family has stayed together through the tough stages of their lives and remained united and appreciative of one another.
This is rather obvious from how often they have family gatherings and their steady posts about each other on social media. Furthermore, even though he is the most famous of his siblings, Karim Benzema is not the only footballer in the family. His experience has also helped two of his three brothers involved in the sport to thrive in their careers.
Wahida Djebbara Is Possibly A Homemaker
Wahida Djebbara has lived most of her life away from the spotlight and as a result, not much is known about how she earns a living. It’s entirely a feasible option to say that she is a homemaker and judging by the way her family has turned out, one could also be led to believe that she has done a very good job of making her home.
It would also not be far-fetched to conclude that she is well taken care of by her husband and children, including Karim Benzema, who remains eternally grateful to her for the vital part she played in enabling him to get to where he is at the moment. You would often hear him acknowledge her in his speeches.
Anyone who knew the Benzemas when they settled in Bron, a dangerous neighborhood in Lyon, will understand the length to which Wahida Djebbara went to keep her children, including a very shy and introverted Benzema, safe from the ills that plagued the neighborhood where he was raised.
She was able to achieve that feat with the aid of her husband, Hafid Benzema who had a reputation for being a strict drill sergeant. One could argue that he needed to be one to keep that many children in line and away from trouble. The five-time UEFA Champions League winner, as of 2022, was rowdy in his youth but gradually began to adjust following enrollment in a Catholic school.
Karim Benzema’s Mother Played a Vital Role In His Success Story
Wahid Djebbara and her husband always ensured that Karim Benzema took the appropriate step at every point in his illustrious career. A case in point was when his hometown club, Bron Terraillon SC, with whom he had been training since he was 8, refused to let him go when Olympique Lyonnais tried to sign him to their academy in 1997.
To push through the deal, they had to get Benzema’s parents involved. The rest, as they say, is history. Karim Benzema has not always had it his way with his football career. He has had to deal with various challenges, including but not limited to the sex tape and blackmailing scandal with former French International Mathieu Valbuena that saw him get banished from the French National team for a long while.
The support he got from his mother, Wahida Djebbara, and other members of his family was what sustained him in that trying period. It was, therefore, quite fitting that she was physically present at the Award show where her son was awarded the 2022 Ballon d’Or, an award that recognized the incredible year he had with his club Real Madrid and also with the French national team who he helped qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
