Christian Benteke Liolo (born 3 December 1990) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club D.C. United.

He returned to Genk from Standard in August 2011 for an undisclosed fee,[11] and went on to score 16 goals and register nine assists in 20 starts during the 2011–12 season.

[13] On 31 August 2012, Benteke joined Premier League club Aston Villa on a four-year contract for a fee believed to be around £7 million.

[14] On 15 September 2012, Benteke scored on his debut for Aston Villa in a 2–0 win against Swansea City, after coming on as a substitute for Austrian forward Andreas Weimann.

The goal came when Swansea defender Ashley Williams headed the ball into Benteke's path, which he then lifted over the keeper and tapped in on the volley.

[19] Benteke further added to his impressive start in Premier League football by scoring two goals in Villa's 3–1 win against Liverpool at Anfield on 15 December.

[20] Around Christmas time, Tottenham Hotspur manager André Villas-Boas was reportedly interested in signing Benteke, referring to him as the season's "surprise package".

[24] Former England striker Michael Owen called him one of the signings of the season and posted a tweet the day after the semi-final saying: 'I'm seriously impressed with Benteke.

'[25] Benteke continued his rich scoring form with a goal against Newcastle United and a brace against Everton, in a game that Villa had led 3–1 at one point but eventually finished 3–3.

Villa said he could leave only if their valuation were met, but a fortnight later he withdrew his transfer request, after talks with manager Paul Lambert, and signed a new four-year contract with the club.

[44] After loss of form and nagging injuries prevented Benteke scoring for 12 games (his last goal being against Newcastle on 14 September), he eventually ended his drought against Arsenal in a 1–2 defeat on 13 January 2014.

[49] On 3 April 2014, Benteke suffered a rupture of his achilles tendon while training and was ruled out for at least six months, missing the remainder of the season and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

[55] Twelve days later, he equalised as Villa came from behind to defeat Liverpool and reach the 2015 FA Cup Final, their first for fifteen years.

[56] On 2 May, he scored twice in a 3–2 win at home to Everton, taking him to a total of eleven goals in nine matches since the arrival of Tim Sherwood as manager.

[58][59] He played the full 90 minutes in the FA Cup Final as Villa lost 4–0 to Arsenal, being beaten to a header by Per Mertesacker for the third goal of the rout.

[60] On 22 July 2015, Liverpool completed the signing of Benteke on a "long-term contract" after meeting his release clause of £32.5 million, at the time making him their second most expensive transfer ever.

[61] He made his debut on 2 August in a pre-season friendly at Swindon Town, putting Liverpool into the lead with a volley as they went on to win 2–1.

[67] On 26 December, he replaced compatriot Divock Origi in the first half of a home fixture against league leaders Leicester City, and scored the only goal in a victory that curtailed the visitors' nine-game unbeaten run.

[68] On 8 January 2016, Benteke was named as captain for Liverpool's FA Cup third round tie with Exeter City at St James Park.

[69] 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 2015–16, a 1–1 draw with Chelsea.

[88] 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.

[93] He scored two goals in seven appearances during qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup,[94] but was ruled out of the tournament finals with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

[95] Benteke returned to Belgium's squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, scoring his first international goal for two years in a 5–0 defeat of Cyprus on 28 March 2015.

[97] He played three more minutes in place of the same player four days later in a victory over Sweden,[98] but took no further part as the Belgians reached the quarter-finals and lost to Wales.