On 10 October 2016, in a World Cup qualifier against Gibraltar, Christian Benteke needed 8.1 seconds to score for Belgium. It is the fastest goal on record in World Cup qualifying or at a World Cup finals. He went on to complete his first international hat-trick that night in a 6–0 win. Christian Benteke Liolo was born on 3 December 1990 in Kinshasa, in what was then Zaire. A centre-forward, he has played in Belgium, England, the United States and the United Arab Emirates, and has been at Al Wahda since January 2026.
From Liège to Genk
His family left Zaire during the Mobutu regime and settled in Liège in 1993. Benteke started out at JS Pierreuse, where he stayed from 1996 to 2004. He joined Standard Liège’s academy that year and moved to Genk’s in 2006. He played for Belgium at the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea and scored once in three games. He broke into the Genk first team and made 10 league appearances, scoring once, between 2007 and 2009. In January 2009 he signed for Standard, who won the 2008–09 Belgian First Division that season. Two loans followed: 14 goals in 34 league games at Kortrijk in 2009–10, then 6 in 18 at Mechelen in 2010–11. He returned to Genk in August 2011 and scored 19 goals in 37 league matches in 2011–12.
Aston Villa (2012–2015)
Aston Villa signed him on 31 August 2012 for around £7 million. He made his debut on 15 September 2012 against Swansea City and scored in a 2–0 win. He finished 2012–13 with 23 goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick in a 6–1 win over Sunderland on 29 April 2013. On 3 April 2014 he ruptured his Achilles tendon, which ruled him out of the World Cup in Brazil. He came back to score a second Premier League hat-trick, against QPR in a 3–3 draw on 7 April 2015. He was named Premier League Player of the Month for April 2015 and played the whole of that year’s FA Cup final, which Villa lost 4–0 to Arsenal. He left with 49 goals in 101 appearances.
Liverpool (2015–2016)
On 22 July 2015 Liverpool paid his £32.5 million release clause. His competitive debut came on 9 August 2015 at Stoke City, and his first league goal followed on 17 August against Bournemouth. After Jürgen Klopp took over he was mostly used off the bench, as he did not suit the German’s style of play. He ended his only season at Anfield with 10 goals in 42 games and two lost finals in 2016, in the League Cup and the Europa League.
Crystal Palace (2016–2022)
Crystal Palace signed him on 20 August 2016 for £27 million, a fee that could rise to £32 million. He scored his first goal on 10 September 2016 against Middlesbrough and finished 2016–17 as the club’s top scorer, with 15 league goals and 17 overall. He signed new deals in 2019 and again in June 2021. On 16 May 2021 he headed in against Aston Villa, his 31st headed goal in the Premier League. In six seasons at Selhurst Park he made 177 appearances and scored 37 goals. Across Aston Villa, Liverpool and Crystal Palace he scored 86 Premier League goals.
Belgium national team
He made his senior debut on 19 May 2010 against Bulgaria and scored his first goal on 15 August 2012 in a 4–2 win over the Netherlands. He was picked for Euro 2016 and played the final seven minutes of a 3–0 win over the Republic of Ireland on 18 June. Belgium went out to Wales in the quarter-finals. He was left out of the final squad for the 2018 World Cup but was named in the Euro 2020 squad. His last cap came on 29 March 2022, when he scored in a 3–0 friendly win over Burkina Faso. He finished with 45 caps and 18 goals for Belgium between 2010 and 2022.
D.C. United and the UAE
In August 2022 he joined D.C. United in MLS. He scored his first goal on 18 September 2022, the only goal of a 1–0 win over Inter Miami. In 2024 he scored two hat-tricks, against New England Revolution on 24 February and away at Atlanta United on 11 May. He won the 2024 MLS Golden Boot with 23 goals in 30 games and set the club’s single-season record of 25 goals in all competitions. He was named in the 2024 MLS Best XI and played in the All-Star Game in 2023 and 2024. He left Washington with 49 goals in 100 appearances. The club declined his option for 2026, and he announced his departure in December 2025. In January 2026 he joined Al Wahda of the UAE Pro League on a free transfer.
Al Wahda