Elias Benkara was born on 29 April 2007 in Germany, with Algerian heritage on his father's side. He joined Borussia Dortmund's youth academy from Mainz in 2021 and progressed through the U17 and U19 ranks at the BVB campus.
Between the ages of 14 and 16 he made nine UEFA Youth League appearances across 2023-24 and 2024-25, and earned his first U15 and U17 caps for Germany. He has continued to feature for Borussia Dortmund II and is on the radar of the senior squad as a long-term project.
He could choose to represent Algeria as well as Germany at senior international level.
Standing 1.93 m and right-footed, Benkara is a tall, modern centre-back with strong duelling, recovery defending and the technical comfort to play out from the back — the kind of profile Dortmund and Bundesliga sides are looking for as long-term investments at the heart of their defence.
Public information about him is still developing, and this profile will be updated as more career and biographical detail becomes confirmed from independent sources.