Franck Ribéry on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Franck Henry Pierre Ribéry (; born 7 April 1983) is a French former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who primarily played as a winger, preferably on the left side, and was known for his pace, energy, skill, and precise passing. Ribéry has been described as a player who is fast, tricky and an excellent dribbler, who has great control with the ball at his feet. While with Bayern, he was recognised on the world stage as one of the best players of his generation. The previous talisman of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the most ...
, once referred to Ribéry as the "jewel of French football".
Ribéry's career began in 1989 as a youth player for local hometown club Conti Boulogne. He left the club after seven years to join professional outfit Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
, but departed the club after three years after having difficulties adjusting. In 1999, Ribéry joined US Boulogne
Union Sportive de Boulogne-sur-Mer Côte d'Opale (commonly referred to as US Boulogne or frequently, simply Boulogne) is a French association football club based in the commune of Boulogne-sur-Mer. The club was founded in 1898 and currently pl ...
, where he played for two years. After spending two more years in the amateur divisions with two clubs (Alès
Alès (; oc, Alès) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie regions of France, region in southern France. It is one of the Subprefectures in France, su ...
and Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
), Ribéry earned a move to Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
club Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
in 2004. After six months with the club, Ribéry moved to Turkey in January 2005 to join Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
, where he won the Turkish Cup
The Turkish Cup ( Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...
. After six months at Galatasaray, he departed the club in controversial fashion in order to return to France to join Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
. Ribéry spent two seasons at the club, helping the ''Marseillais'' reach the final of the Coupe de France
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
in back-to-back seasons.
In 2007, Ribéry joined German club Bayern Munich for a then club-record fee of €25 million. With Bayern, he won nine Bundesliga titles (at the time a Bundesliga record), six DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
, one UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
and one FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
, which include five double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
s and one treble, amounting to a then club record of 24 titles over twelve seasons. His form for Bayern in the club's 2012–13 treble winning season saw him nominated alongside Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
and Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
on the three-man shortlist for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or. During his long spell at Bayern, Ribéry was also known for his fruitful partnership with fellow winger Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (football), winger. He was known for his Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long ...
—together they were affectionately referred to by the nickname ''Robbery''. He left Bayern in summer 2019, and subsequently joined Italian side Fiorentina, while Robben retired from football.
Between 2006 and 2014, Ribéry represented the France national team 81 times. He played at two FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
s (2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
and 2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
) and two UEFA European Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...
s (2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
). Individually, Ribéry is a three-time winner of the French Player of the Year
__FORCETOC__
The French Player of the Year is an association football award presented annually by the French magazine ''France Football'' since 1959. Originally, only French players playing in France were eligible, but from 1996 French players play ...
award and also won the German award of Footballer of the Year, becoming the first player to hold both honours. He has also been named to the UEFA Team of the Year
The UEFA Fan's Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its official website. This award started in 2001 and allows users of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their ove ...
and declared the Young Player of the Year in France. In 2013, Ribéry won the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
The UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award (previously known as the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award) is an association football award given to the footballer playing for a men's football club in Europe that is considered the best in the previous se ...
. In 2013, he was also ranked fourth in ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
s list of the best players in the world.
He is currently in charge as a technical collaborator of Italian Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
club Salernitana
Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919, commonly referred to as Salernitana, is
an Italian football club based in Salerno, Campania. The original club was founded in 1919 and has been reconstituted three times in the course of its history, most recentl ...
, which was also his final club as a player.
Early life
Ribéry was born on 7 April 1983 inBoulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
, Pas-de-Calais and raised in a low-income
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little neighbourhood on the fringes of the city. When he was two years old, he and his family were involved in a car accident in his hometown, colliding with a lorry; he suffered serious facial injuries that resulted in more than one hundred stitches and which left two long scars down the right side of his face, and another across his brows. Prior to joining Stade Brestois in 2003, he worked as a
On 15 June 2005, Ribéry announced that he would be returning to France joining Ligue 1 club
Ribéry's now heightened popularity saw increased speculation from writers and supporters that Marseille would finally win their first league title since the 1991–92 season. He began the 2006–07 campaign on a high note, scoring in the club's second match of the season against
Ribéry scored his first league goal for the club on 18 August in a 4–0 triumph over Bremen converting a penalty in the 31st minute. He went scoreless in the league for almost two months before scoring a goal and providing the assist on Bayern's other goal in a 2–1 win over
On 20 April, Ribéry was sent off by referee
Following the October international break, Ribéry manufactured another statistical output after scoring and assisting on two goals in a 4–0 win over
Ribéry started the 2012–13 season by winning the 2012 DFL-Supercup against Borussia Dortmund on 12 August 2012. He scored two goals in a 2–0 victory over Hoffenheim on 6 October. Ribery scored a late minute goal against BATE Borisov in the Champions League, but the match ended a 3–1 loss for Bayern. On 20 October, Ribery provided hat-trick of assists in a 5–0 win over
Ribéry started the
Prior to representing the senior team, Ribéry was ever present with the France under-21 team earning his first selection on 3 September 2004 in a 1–0 victory over 
On 20 June, an emotional Ribéry appeared alongside Domenech on TF1's football show ''
Ribéry was described as a provocateur on the field of play, with UEFA referring to him as "a crowd-pleaser – one of those rare breed of footballer capable of enjoying his talents while expressing them", due to his trickery, artistry, and creativity on the ball. During the 2006 World Cup, he was mentored by national team playmaker Zinedine Zidane. While boasting him as "the jewel of French football", Zidane also praised Ribéry as a person, declaring, "Franck just loves life. He's the kind of player that makes an impression every time he plays. He’s bound to become an important figure in the world of football."
Ribéry's on-field personality was often matched off-field as he was often referred to as a "joker" and "prankster" by club and international teammates. The midfielder has stated that humour is very important, admitting, "It's important to always be smiling, to wake up and feel good. We (footballers) have a great job, we like what we do and we have fun." His more notable stunts include driving a
Galatasaray
*
construction worker
A construction worker is a worker employed in the physical construction of the built environment and its infrastructure.
Definition
By some definitions, workers may be engaged in manual labour as unskilled or semi-skilled workers; they may be sk ...
with his father, which Ribéry referred to as a "learning experience".
Club career
Early career
Ribéry began his football career at age six playing in the youth section of amateur club ''FC Conti de Boulogne-sur-Mer''. After a seven-year stay, in 1996, he joined professional outfitLille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
, who were playing in the second division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
. While at Lille, Ribéry excelled athletically, but developed academic and behavioural problems, which led to Lille releasing him. In 2012, during a press conference ahead of Bayern Munich's Champions League tie against his former club Lille, Ribéry explained that he was released from the Lille academy after suffering a broken elbow and that Lille officials had previously wanted to drop him from the academy for being "too small".
After leaving Lille, Ribéry returned to his hometown joining the biggest club in the city, US Boulogne
Union Sportive de Boulogne-sur-Mer Côte d'Opale (commonly referred to as US Boulogne or frequently, simply Boulogne) is a French association football club based in the commune of Boulogne-sur-Mer. The club was founded in 1898 and currently pl ...
. After spending a year in the reserves, he was promoted to the senior team. Ribéry only made four appearances in his debut season as Boulogne, who were playing in the CFA, the fourth division of French football, earned promotion to third-tier Championnat National
The Championnat de France National ( en, French National Championship), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, t ...
. In his second season with the club, Ribéry appeared in 25 league matches converting five goals. Although Boulogne finished 17th, which meant a return to the fourth division, Ribéry's solid performances earned him a move to fellow National club Olympique Alès
Olympique Alès is a French association football club founded in 1923, based in the commune of Alès. The Cévennes club currently plays in Championnat National 3 the fifth division of the French football league system. The club in the past ...
. In his only season at the club, Ribéry made 18 appearances scoring only one goal.
Following the season, despite finishing safe, Alès were relegated to the Division d'Honneur, the sixth division of French football, by the DNCG after the club declared bankruptcy. The resulting news led to Ribéry signing with Stade Brest
Stade Brestois 29 or simply Brest, is a French football club based in Brest. It was founded in 1950 following the merger of five local patronages, including Armoricaine de Brest, founded in 1903.
In its early years, the club made a rapid rise ...
, another Championnat National club. At Brest, Ribéry established himself as a premier player in the league appearing in 35 league matches scoring three goals. Ribéry's performance and the team as a whole led to the club finishing second in the league, thus earning promotion to Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...
.
Despite his success with Brest, Ribéry sought to play in Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
, the top division of French football
Association football is the most popular sport in France. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the cou ...
. His dream came to fruition when Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
's manager Jean Fernandez
Jean Fernandez (born 8 October 1954) is a French professional football manager and former player. He has previously managed Metz and Marseille, where France national team star Franck Ribéry saw him as a mentor. He managed Auxerre for five yea ...
took a liking to him and recruited him on a free transfer. Ribéry only spent half a season at Metz, but impressed earning the UNFP Player of the Month
The UNFP Player of the Month trophy is an award that recognises the best Ligue 1 player each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to 50% of the final tally, and the players of each ...
in August 2004. He scored his only league goal for Metz on 6 November in the team's 1–1 draw with Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
. His stellar play on the right side of midfield led to Metz supporters comparing him to Robert Pires
Robert Emmanuel Pires (born 29 October 1973) is a French association football, football coach and former professional Football player, player.
Pires played for French clubs FC Metz, Metz and Olympique de Marseille, Marseille prior to his time wi ...
, a former Metz player. After negotiations on an extension ended in a stalemate, Ribéry relocated to Turkey. There he joined Galatasaray, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract on 1 February 2005.
Galatasaray
At Galatasaray, Ribéry was brought in by managerGheorghe Hagi
Gheorghe "Gică" Hagi (; born 5 February 1965) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the owner and manager of Liga I club Farul Constanța. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Hagi was considered one of ...
and appeared in 14 league matches as the club finished in third-place position. While playing for the club, Galatasaray supporters nicknamed him "Ferraribery", in reference to his quick acceleration with the ball at his feet and also "Scarface" due to a large scar located on the right side of his face. In the Turkish Cup
The Turkish Cup ( Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...
, Ribéry was instrumental in the club's 5–1 thrashing of rivals Fenerbahçe in the competition's ultimate match. He scored the opening goal in the 16th minute and also assisted on another goal. Ribéry was later substituted in the 52nd minute with Galatasaray leading 3–1. The trophy was Ribéry's first major honour.
Move to Marseille and CAS ruling
On 15 June 2005, Ribéry announced that he would be returning to France joining Ligue 1 club Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
on a five-year contract, plus reuniting with former manager Jean Fernandez. The move was considered surprising to Galatasaray as Ribéry had three years remaining on his contract after the club paid Metz €2 million to make the loan move permanent on 30 March. Ribéry argued that he had not been paid his wages by the club and asked FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
, the sport's governing body
A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...
, to invalidate his contract. He also confirmed that, at one point during the season, he was threatened with a baseball bat by his former agent and a Galatasaray director. A day after announcing his move, Galatasaray officials and manager Eric Gerets
Eric Maria Gerets (, born 18 May 1954) is a Belgian football manager and former player who played as a right back.
He started his playing career as an amateur for his local team AA Rekem, before achieving success with Standard Liège and PSV. ...
blasted the player for betraying the club and also announced their intent to ask FIFA to probe the situation.
In July 2005, FIFA ruled in favour of Ribéry and dismissed Galatasaray's claims of the player being at fault. In response, the Turkish club announced their decision to challenge FIFA's ruling by appealing to the international Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its co ...
. On 25 April 2007, their appeal was dismissed by the court, who declared in a statement that Ribéry had terminated his contract with the Turkish club at the end of the 2004–05 season on just grounds, and that Galatasaray was therefore not entitled to any compensation. Galatasaray had sought €10 million in compensation from Marseille.
2005–06 season
Upon his arrival, Ribéry was handed the number 7 shirt and made his debut on 30 July 2005 in a 2–0 defeat toBordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
collecting a yellow card
Yellow card may refer to:
* Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas
* Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band
* Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conce ...
. On 17 September, he scored his first goal for the club in their 2–1 victory over Troyes
Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...
. Two weeks later, Ribéry netted goals in back-to-back matches in victories over his former club Metz and Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
. On 19 November, Ribéry scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 win over Nantes
Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
. The goal, scored from almost out, was later voted the goal of the season by supporters.
In the Coupe de France
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
, Ribéry performed well scoring a double against Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...
and scoring the opening goal in Marseille's 3–1 semi-final victory over Rennes
Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...
. The win pushed Marseille through to the 2006 final, where they faced ''Le Classique
Le Classique (, The Classic) is the rivalry between French professional football clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille. The duo are the two most successful clubs in French football, and the only French teams to have won major Eur ...
'' rivals Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
, which merited Ribéry his second consecutive cup final appearance. Unfortunately, Marseille faltered losing 2–1 to the Parisian club. In Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, Ribéry scored two goals in the UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting pool'),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. often abbreviated and more known in the German-speaking world as UI Cup and originally called the International Foot ...
against Italian club Lazio
it, Laziale
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
and Spanish outfit Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (), commonly known as Deportivo La Coruña (), Deportivo or simply Dépor, is a professional association football, football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. They currently p ...
. In the UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
, he scored one goal converting it in the second leg of Marseille's Round of 32 tie with Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
club Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
. Ribéry was later named the National Union of Professional Footballers
The Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionels (UNFP; English: National Union of Professional Footballers) is the main trade union for professional football players in France. It was founded on 16 November 1961 by Eugène N'Jo Léa and Just Fon ...
(UNFP) Young Player of the Year.
2006–07 season
Following Ribéry's success internationally at the2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
, a bidding war occurred in order to obtain his services with English club Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
initially offering €15 million for the player. However, Arsenal would be trumped by Spanish club Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
, who offered €30 million for the Frenchman, according to Marseille directors. Rivals Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a men and women's French professional football club based in Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The men play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. Founded in 1950, th ...
also sought Ribéry's services, with president Pape Diouf
Mababa Diouf, known as Papa Diouf or Pape Diouf (18 December 1951 – 31 March 2020) was a Franco-Senegalese football personality who was a sports journalist, agent for football players, and later president of Olympique de Marseille from ...
accusing Jean-Michel Aulas
Jean-Michel Antoine Aulas (born 22 March 1949) is a French businessman. He is the founder and CEO of :fr:Cegid, Cegid (Compagnie Européenne de Gestion par l'Informatique Décentralisée) and serves as the owner and president of French Associatio ...
of tapping-up In professional team sports, tapping up (British English) or tampering (American English) is an attempt to persuade a player contracted to one team to transfer to another team, without the knowledge or permission of the player's current team. This k ...
Ribéry after it was discovered that the Lyon chairman visited the France national team and Ribéry himself during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Diouf later threatened to report Aulas to the Ligue de Football Professionnel
The Ligue de Football Professionnel (, ''Professional Football League''), commonly known as the LFP, is a French governing body that runs the major professional football leagues in France. It was founded in 1944 and serves under the authority o ...
(LFP) for his actions. He went as far as to accuse Ribéry's former agent, Bruno Heiderscheid, of badly advising the player. Marseille continued to declare him off-limits with nearly four years remaining on Ribéry's contract. On 11 August 2006, Ribéry confirmed his intention to remain with the club for the 2006–07 season.
Ribéry's now heightened popularity saw increased speculation from writers and supporters that Marseille would finally win their first league title since the 1991–92 season. He began the 2006–07 campaign on a high note, scoring in the club's second match of the season against Auxerre
Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
in a 3–0 victory. On 11 November 2006, Ribéry suffered a serious groin injury in Marseille's 1–0 loss to Lille. The resulting injury meant Ribéry was out for a number of weeks, returning following the winter break. On his return in January, Ribéry netted two goals in another win over Auxerre. The following month, Ribéry suffered a fractured foot in a match against Toulouse. The injury required him to miss four league matches, as well as a Coupe de France match. In April 2007, Ribéry finished the league season by scoring in back-to-back weeks against Sochaux
Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.
Geography
Sochaux lies east of Montbéliard, and southeast of Paris.
Population
Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''.
Economy
S ...
in a 4–2 win and Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
in another victory.
In the Coupe de France, Marseille again reached the final with Ribéry, for the second straight season, putting them there scoring the game-winning goal in a 3–0 semi-final win over Nantes. In the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, Marseille were heavy favourites over Sochaux, a team they had completely dominated just 12 days prior. However, Sochaux recorded an upset victory defeating Marseille 5–4 on penalties
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* Penalty ...
after the match ended 2–2 following extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
. Ribéry's final match with Marseille was a 1–0 win over Sedan on the final match day of the season. The victory secured second place for Marseille and was their best finish since finishing runner-up to Bordeaux during the 1998–99 season. Following the season, Ribéry was awarded the French Player of the Year
__FORCETOC__
The French Player of the Year is an association football award presented annually by the French magazine ''France Football'' since 1959. Originally, only French players playing in France were eligible, but from 1996 French players play ...
by French sports publication ''France Football
''France Football'' is a French weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world. It is considered to be one of the most reputable sports publications in Europe, mostly because of its photographic reports, in-depth and exclusiv ...
''. The honour ended the four-year reign of Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best player ...
.
Bayern Munich
2007–08 season
On 7 June 2007, German clubBayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
announced that they had reached an agreement with Marseille for the transfer of Ribéry, with the player agreeing to a four-year deal and Bayern paying Marseille a then club-record €25 million. Ribéry was given the number 7 shirt, which was freed up due to the retirement of midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
Mehmet Scholl
Mehmet Tobias Scholl (born Mehmet Tobias Yüksel; 16 October 1970) is a German football manager and former player.
He played most of his career as an attacking midfielder for Bayern Munich. During his career he won the UEFA Cup in 1996 (scoring ...
at the end of the previous season. He made his team debut one month later, scoring twice in an 18–0 friendly drubbing of Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
youth side FT Gern. Ribéry made his competitive debut for Bayern on 21 July 2007 against Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are be ...
in the first round of the Premiere Ligapokal, scoring twice and also assisting on another in a 4–1 victory. In the semifinals, he netted an early goal in a 2–0 win over defending champions VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB Stu ...
. Due to an injury, Ribéry was unable to play in the final, which Bayern won.
Ribéry scored his first league goal for the club on 18 August in a 4–0 triumph over Bremen converting a penalty in the 31st minute. He went scoreless in the league for almost two months before scoring a goal and providing the assist on Bayern's other goal in a 2–1 win over VfL Bochum
Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as simply VfL Bochum (), is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club has spent 35 seas ...
. A month later, Ribéry recorded this feat again, providing the assist on the opening goal scored by Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Josef Klose (, pl, Mirosław Józef Klose; born 9 June 1978 as Mirosław Marian Klose) is a German professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Austrian Footb ...
and scoring the game winning goal
A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...
in a 2–1 win over VfL Wolfsburg
Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
. In the German Cup
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
, he recorded two goals and provided four assists in five matches Bayern contested. He netted his first goal in the competition on 27 February 2008 in Bayern's win over inner-city rivals 1860 Munich, with Ribéry converting the lone goal, a penalty, in the final minute of extra time. In the semi-finals, Ribéry scored the opening goal in Bayern's 2–0 win over Wolfsburg, which resulted in the club qualifying for the final against Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...
. In the DFB-Pokal final, Ribéry assisted on Luca Toni's opener in the 11th minute in a match Bayern won 2–1, thus claiming their 14th cup title.
In the UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
, Bayern reached the semi-finals, with Ribéry scoring three goals in the competition, including one in the Germans' comeback win over Spanish club Getafe
Getafe () is a municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality.
Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city centre, within a flat ar ...
in the quarter-finals. In total, Ribéry appeared in 46 matches scoring 16 goals and assisting on 17 goals as Bayern won the league and cup double. For his efforts, on 8 June 2008, Ribéry was named the 2007–08 Footballer of the Year (Germany). He was also named French Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
2008–09 season
Due to tearing ligaments in his ankle atEuro 2008
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...
, Ribéry began the season with Bayern on 24 September 2008 in a DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
match against 1. FC Nürnberg, appearing as a substitute in the 65th minute. He made his league debut three days later and, after a month of play, scored his first goal of the season in Bayern's 4–2 comeback win over VfL Wolfsburg. Following the match, Ribéry scored in five-straight league matches, with the club going undefeated in that span. On 10 December, Ribéry capped the 2008 portion of the season by scoring a goal and providing assists on the other two in Bayern's 3–2 victory over Lyon in the Champions League. For his performances throughout 2008, Ribéry finished third behind Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
and Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
for the Onze d'Or. He was shortlisted by the French magazine ''France Football'' for the 2008 Ballon d'Or award, won by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ribéry's 2009 debut saw Bayern earn a 5–1 German Cup win over VfB Stuttgart, with the player scoring and also providing an assist. On 24 February 2009, he scored a double in the club's 5–0 win over Sporting CP
Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...
in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash. Bayern were later eliminated 5–1 on aggregate by Spanish champions Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
in the next round, with Ribéry scoring a consolation goal in the second leg in a 1–1 draw at the Allianz. In the league, Bayern failed to defend their Bundesliga title, despite suffering defeat only twice in their final 13 matches, losing out to Wolfsburg. Ribéry ended the season with 36 total appearances scoring 14 goals and providing 19 assists.
2009–10 season
Following the 2008–09 season, constant speculation began to surface regarding Ribéry's availability on the transfer market. Despite Bayern presidentUli Hoeneß
Ulrich "Uli" Hoeneß (, ; born 5 January 1952) is the former president of German football club Bayern Munich and a former footballer for West Germany who played as a forward for club and country. Hoeneß represented Germany at one World Cup and ...
, executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and new manager Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former football player and manager. At club level, he served as manager of Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, as well as having three spel ...
declaring that Ribéry would not be sold, numerous media outlets declared that English clubs Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
and Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid, and Italian outfit Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...
had strong interest in the player, with many of the clubs willing to offer as much as €65 million for his services. In order to quell the interest, Hoeneß declared that Ribéry would leave for nothing less than €100 million.
Ribéry began the 2009–10 season struggling with tendonitis
Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tennis e ...
in his left knee, but was healthy enough to start the season scoring his first goal in a 5–1 victory against rivals Borussia Dortmund, converting a free kick. The goal was notable in part due to Ribéry's celebration afterward; following his conversion, Ribéry ran across the field eluding several celebratory teammates and enthusiastically jumped into his manager Louis van Gaal's awaiting arms. The mutual show of admiration ended speculation by the media of the two having a poor relationship. In early October, the tendinitis began to affect his play, which resulted in Ribéry missing the rest of the year, as well as France's World Cup playoff tie with the Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
.
On 23 January 2010, Ribéry returned to the team, making an appearance as a substitute in the club's 3–2 league win over Werder Bremen. Ribéry's first goal of the new year came on 10 February scoring in Bayern's 6–2 DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
victory over SpVgg Greuther Fürth
Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth (), commonly known as Greuther Fürth (), is a German football club based in Fürth, Bavaria. They play in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of the German football league system, following relegation from the B ...
. On 31 March, he scored the equalising goal in Bayern's 2–1 first leg win over English club Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
in the Champions League quarter-finals after converting a free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offence ...
, which deflected off of striker Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while als ...
before going into the net. In the club's ensuing match, Ribéry scored the opening goal in the team's 2–1 victory over Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
.
On 20 April, Ribéry was sent off by referee Roberto Rosetti
Roberto Rosetti (born 18 September 1967) is an Italian former football referee. He is fluent in Italian (native), English and French. He started refereeing in 1983, and took charge of his first match in the Italian Serie A in 1996. He received hi ...
in the club's first leg Champions League semi-final against Lyon after being adjudged to have committed serious foul play on Lyon striker Lisandro López. The expulsion resulted in Ribéry missing the second leg in Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
, which Bayern won to advance to the UEFA Champions League final
The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of Europea ...
. On 28 April, Ribéry was handed a three-match suspension by UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
's Control and Disciplinary Body for assault. The suspension meant that Ribéry would miss the final. Following the ruling, Bayern Munich announced their intent to appeal the suspension. On 5 May, the club's appeal was heard by the UEFA Appeals Body, which upheld Ribéry's ban meaning he would not only miss the final on 22 May, but also the next UEFA club competition fixture for which he is eligible. Immediately after the ruling, however, Bayern responded by announcing their intention of appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
On 15 May, Ribéry scored the third goal in Bayern's 4–0 win over Werder Bremen in the 2009–10 edition of the DFB-Pokal final. Two days later, Ribéry's appeal was heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and was dismissed meaning he was officially ruled out of the UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan on 22 May. Bayern Munich lost the match 2–0. On 20 May, it was announced by German newspaper ''Bild
''Bild'' (or ''Bild-Zeitung'', ; ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper ''Bild am Sonntag'' ("''Bild on Sunday''") is published instead, which ...
'' that Ribéry had agreed to a new five-year contract with Bayern Munich and would sign the contract upon his arrival in Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
to watch his teammates contest the Champions League final. On 23 May, the day after the final, the club officially confirmed the agreement. The new deal tied Ribéry to the club until 2015 and, though there is uncertainty regarding the annual salary, it has been speculated that the new deal pays him an annual salary of €10 million a year, the highest annual salary ever awarded to a player in the club's history.
2010–11 season
Ribéry began the 2010–11 season healthy for the first time since his debut season with the club. He was among the first World Cup players to arrive to pre-season training and made his season debut on 16 August 2010 in Bayern's 4–0 victory over Germania Windeck in the first round of theDFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
. In the match, Ribéry scored his first goal of the season. Four days later, he assisted on the game-winning goal, scored by Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger (; born 1 August 1984) is a German former professional footballer who usually played as a central midfielder. Earlier in his career, he primarily played as a wide midfielder. Schweinsteiger is regarded as one of the grea ...
, in the team's opening league match against VfL Wolfsburg. On 21 September, Ribéry was forced to leave the team's 2–1 win over 1899 Hoffenheim after suffering an ankle injury. The injury was discovered to be serious and Ribéry was ruled out for four weeks.
Despite the initial diagnosis, Ribéry missed two months and returned to the team on 14 November in a league match against 1. FC Nürnberg. A week later, Ribéry was criticised by manager Louis van Gaal for his performance in a friendly match against SpVgg Unterhaching
Spielvereinigung Unterhaching () is a German sports club in Unterhaching, a semi-rural municipality on the southern outskirts of the Bavarian capital Munich. The club is widely known for playing in the first-division association football league ...
, which was organised to help Ribéry and other injured first-team players regain full fitness. Though Van Gaal was disappointed in several of his players' performances, he singled out Ribéry, stating, "he ibérydidn't make any effort and showed no commitment." Ribéry did, however, remain in contention to appear in the team's next league match against Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...
. He subsequently appeared in the match as a substitute in the 61st minute. On 8 December, Ribéry scored a double in a 3–0 victory over Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
club Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
in the Champions League.
On 15 January, in Bayern's first league match following the winter break against Wolfsburg, Ribéry suffered a lower leg injury in the first half as a result of a tackle by Brazilian midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
Josué. Initial media reports described the injury as serious with Ribéry possibly having to undergo surgery to repair torn ligaments. After further medical analysis, however, the injury was only reduced to a sprain and Ribéry subsequently missed two weeks. He returned to the team on 5 February in a league match against 1. FC Köln. On 12 February, Ribéry assisted on two goals in a 4–0 win over 1899 Hoffenheim.
Following the team's 3–1 league win over Mainz 05
1. Fußball- und Sportverein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05, Mainz 05 () or simply Mainz (), is a German sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. 1. FSV Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top ...
on 19 February, Ribéry embarked on a streak in which he charted a statistical output in Bayern's next five league matches. On 26 February, he assisted on the team's only goal in its 3–1 defeat against rivals Borussia Dortmund. In the next match, against Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...
, he repeated his feat from the previous match assisted on an Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (football), winger. He was known for his Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long ...
goal in another defeat. On 12 March, Ribéry had arguably his best performance of the season after scoring a goal and providing three assists in a 6–0 hammering of Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
. In Bayern's following match against SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg () or just Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bund ...
, he assisted on the team's opening goal, scored by Mario Gómez
Mario Gómez García (; born 10 July 1985) is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker. He represented the Germany national team over a period of 11 years between 2007 and 2018.
Gómez began his professional career with ...
, and then netted the game-winning goal two minutes from time in a 2–1 win. Against Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
on 2 April, Ribéry assisted on the only goal of the match, which was converted by Robben. The streak ended in the team's 1–1 draw with 1. FC Nürnberg on 11 April. Six days later, Ribéry scored the final goal in a 5–1 sweeping of Bayer Leverkusen.
2011–12 season
Prior to the start of the 2011–12 season, Ribéry suffered an ankle injury during a pre-season training session, which resulted in the player being carried from the training ground by members of the club's medical team. Despite the player himself fearing he may have torn ligaments in the ankle, after an examination, club doctors revealed that the injury was not as serious as first thought, and Ribéry missed only one competitive match, a 3–0 DFB-Pokal away win overEintracht Braunschweig
Braunschweiger Turn- und Sportverein Eintracht von 1895 e.V., commonly known as Eintracht Braunschweig () or BTSV (), is a German association football, football and sports club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding ...
on 1 August 2011. Ribéry made his season debut a week later in Bayern's opening league match of the season, playing the entire match in a 1–0 loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach. In the following week, he assisted on the game-winning goal, scored by Luiz Gustavo
Luiz Gustavo Dias (born 23 July 1987) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Saudi Professional League club Al-Nassr. He began his career as a left back, but has played mostly as a defensive midfielder, ...
, in a win over VfL Wolfsburg. Ribéry scored his first goal of the campaign in the team's next league match against Hamburger SV. Bayern won the match 5–0. Following the international break, on 10 September, he scored a double and assisted on a goal in a 7–0 home victory over SC Freiburg. A week later, Ribéry assisted on both team goals in a shutout win over Schalke 04.
Following the October international break, Ribéry manufactured another statistical output after scoring and assisting on two goals in a 4–0 win over Hertha BSC
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charl ...
. On 29 October, he scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 win over FC Augsburg
Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg () or Augsburg, is a German football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. The team was founded as ...
. In the UEFA Champions League, Ribéry scored his first goal in the competition on 22 November against Spanish club Villarreal
Villarreal ( ca-valencia , Vila-real) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain.
The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's ...
in the group stage. He scored one goal in each half to give Bayern a 3–1 win, which allowed the club progression to the UEFA Champions League knockout phase. On 3 December, Ribéry scored another set of goals in a 4–1 win against Werder Bremen. The league win re-inserted Bayern back into first-place position in the league after momentarily losing the spot in late November. After failing to score a goal in two months, on 8 February 2012 Ribéry scored the game-winning goal in a 2–0 win over VfB Stuttgart in the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
. The goal resulted in Ribéry scoring in every official competition Bayern Munich has participated in since he joined the club in 2007.
On 26 February, Ribéry scored two goals in a shutout win over Schalke 04. Two weeks later, in a 7–1 thrashing of 1899 Hoffenheim, he scored another goal and assisted on goals scored by Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos (born 4 January 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Kroos plays mainly as a central midfielder, but has also been deployed as a deep-lying playmaker in his career. He is kn ...
, Arjen Robben and Mario Gómez. In the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal, Ribéry scored the second goal in the team's 4–2 extra time win over Borussia Mönchengladbach. The win took Bayern Munich to its 18th German Cup final. On 17 April, Ribéry scored Bayern's opening goal in its 2–1 first leg victory over Spanish club Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Two days after the match, it was reported by German publication ''Sport Bild'' that Ribéry was involved in a dressing room fight during half-time of the Madrid match with Arjen Robben. The report stated that "a clear-the-air meeting was held" and Ribéry was "said to have apologized and accepted a fine for his actions". In the team's ensuing match against Werder Bremen, Ribéry appeared as a substitute and scored the game-winning goal in the 90th minute. On 12 May 2012, Ribéry scored in the 2012 DFB-Pokal Final, as Bayern lost 5–2 against rivals Borussia Dortmund. In extra time of the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2012 UEFA Champions League Final was an association football match which took place on Saturday, 19 May 2012 between Bayern Munich of Germany and Chelsea of England at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. The match was to decide the winner ...
, he was subbed out after sustaining an injury from a tackle by Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at ...
. Bayern eventually lost in a penalty shootout.
2012–13 season
Ribéry started the 2012–13 season by winning the 2012 DFL-Supercup against Borussia Dortmund on 12 August 2012. He scored two goals in a 2–0 victory over Hoffenheim on 6 October. Ribery scored a late minute goal against BATE Borisov in the Champions League, but the match ended a 3–1 loss for Bayern. On 20 October, Ribery provided hat-trick of assists in a 5–0 win over Fortuna Düsseldorf
Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a German football club in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga.
Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league ...
. On 18 December, Ribéry was shown a straight red card after slapping Augsburg's midfielder Koo Ja-cheol
Koo Ja-cheol (; or ; born 27 February 1989) is a South Korean footballer who plays for Jeju United as a midfielder. Koo is one of the three most successful South Korean players with careers in the German Bundesliga, alongside Cha Bum-kun an ...
during the DFB Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
round of 16 match, but that did not stop his side from winning the match 2–0. He was given two-match suspension in the Pokal causing him to miss the quarter-final match against Borussia Dortmund and the semi-final match against VFL Wolfsburg even though his side won both of the matches and made it through to the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
.
Ribéry also won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in an all-German final against Dortmund. He provided the assist to Arjen Robben who then scored the match-winning goal in the Champions League final
The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of European ...
. He completed the continental treble with Bayern after also winning the 2012–13 Bundesliga
The 2012–13 Bundesliga was the 50th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season began on 24 August 2012 with the season opening match at Westfalenstadion involving defending champions Borussia Dortmund and SV Werd ...
and 2013 DFB-Pokal against VfB Stuttgart. Ribéry also had the most assists with 15 assists in the Bundesliga.
2013–14 season
On 10 August 2013, Ribéry provided one assist to his teammate Arjen Robben in their firstBundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
game of the season as they won the game with a 3–1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. Ribéry scored his first header in a 2–0 victory over 1. FC Nürnberg on 24 August. On 29 August, Ribéry won the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
The UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award (previously known as the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award) is an association football award given to the footballer playing for a men's football club in Europe that is considered the best in the previous se ...
. On 30 August, Ribéry scored a 47th-minute goal against Chelsea in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup as his side won the UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
title for the first time in their club's history after winning in the penalty shoot-out.
On 21 December, Ribéry was awarded the Golden Ball for being the best player of the tournament after his side won the FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
title for the first time in club's history by beating Raja Casablanca
Raja Club Athletic ( ar, نادي الرجاء الرياضي, Nādī ar-Rajāʾ ar-Riyāḍī, zgh, ⴰⵙⵔⵉⵔ ⵏ ⵕⴰⵊⴰ ⴰⵎⴰⵏⵓⵏ), commonly referred to as Raja CA, Raja Casablanca or simply RCA is a professional footb ...
2–0 victory in the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. On 13 January 2014, he placed third in the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. On 7 February, Ribéry suffered burst blood vessel in his buttock which kept him out of the pitch for two weeks. On 25 March, he scored in a 3–1 win over Hertha BSC as Bayern were confirmed as Bundesliga champions.
2014–15 season
On 18 October 2014, Ribéry made his return after suffering from a knee injury as a substitute in the 61st minute in a 6–0 home victory over Werder Bremen. Ribéry scored each goal in both the matches againstA.S. Roma
' (''Rome Sport Association''), commonly referred to as Roma (), is a professional football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier of Italian football for all of its existence, except for ...
in the UEFA Champions League group stage, Bayern won 7–1 in the first match and 2–0 in the second match. He made an impressive performance and scored a goal in his first start for the club since April 2014 in a 3–1 victory over Hamburger SV in the DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
on 30 October. Ribéry scored his 100th goal for Bayern and the only goal of the match in 1–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on 6 December. The goal happened in his 287th competitive match for Bayern. In January 2015, he suffered another injury which was muscle injury in training and missed only three matches against VfL Wolfsburg, Schalke 04 and VfB Stuttgart. On 27 March, Ribéry then suffered an ankle injury in a 7–0 home victory over Shakhtar Donetsk
Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk ( uk, Футбольний клуб «Шахтар» Донецьк , short nickname "miners") is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. In 2014, due to the War in Donbass, the club was f ...
in the UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
2nd leg match of the Round of 16
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
tie and was sidelined for the remaining of the season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
. He scored nine goals and provided seven assists in this season.
2015–16 season
On 2 December 2015, Ribéry trained with the first team for the first time since his injury in March 2015. On 5 December, he made his first appearance since his ankle injury as a substitute coming in forRobert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski (; born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Barcelona and captains the Poland national team. Recognised for his positioning, technique and finishing, Lewandowski is co ...
and also scored a goal after six minutes of his appearance, but that didn't stop Bayern from losing 3–1 to Borussia Mönchengladbach. It was also his 300th competitive appearance for Bayern Munich. He made his 200th Bundesliga appearance in a 1–0 win over 1. FC Köln on 19 March 2016. On 2 April, Ribéry scored a bicycle kick goal for Bayern Munich to beat Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
with a 1–0 victory. He finished the season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
with two goals and three assists.
2016–17 season
Ribéry extended his contract with Bayern Munich by another year to June 2018, on 27 November 2016. On 17 September, Ribéry was involved in all Bayern's goal as he provided three assists to Robert Lewandowski,Xabi Alonso
Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish football coach and former professional player who is currently the head coach of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.
Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his hom ...
and Rafinha's goals to beat FC Ingolstadt 04
Fußball-Club Ingolstadt 2004 e.V., commonly known as FC Ingolstadt 04 or FC Ingolstadt, is a German football club based in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. The club was founded in 2004 out of the merger of the football sides of two other clubs: ESV Ingols ...
with a 3–1 victory. In the middle of the season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
, he suffered a thigh injury which kept him out from the pitch for almost four weeks. He made his comeback in a 3–0 DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
quarter-final victory over Schalke 04 on 2 March 2017. Ribéry scored five goals and provided seventeen assists in this season.
2017–18 season
Ribéry started the season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
by winning the DFL-Supercup as Bayern defeated their arch-rival Borussia Dortmund 5–4 on penalties. On 1 October 2017, he sustained a knee injury in a 2–2 draw to Hertha BSC
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charl ...
. On 2 December, Ribéry made his return to the pitch in a 3–1 victory over Hannover 96 and made a record for Bayern Munich's most Bundesliga appearances by a non-German with 235th appearance, overtaking former Bayern player and current sporting director
A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...
Hasan Salihamidžić
Hasan Salihamidžić (; born 1 January 1977), nicknamed Brazzo ( bs, Braco, , "Little Bro"), is a Bosnian former professional footballer and current sporting director of Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. After starting his club career with German s ...
who had 234 appearances. He made another record of most competitive appearances by any non-German player for Bayern with 366 appearances in a 1–0 victory over 1. FC Köln, surpassing Hasan Salihamidžić's 365 appearances. Ribéry scored twice in a 6–0 home victory over Hamburger SV on 10 March 2018. On 7 May 2018, Ribéry again extended his contract with Bayern, until June 2019. He ended the season with six goals and five assists.
2018–19 season
Ribéry played his first competitive match of theseason
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
and won the DFL-Supercup as Bayern defeated Eintracht Frankfurt with a 5–0 victory. On 1 September, Ribéry made his 250th Bundesliga appearance in a 3–0 victory over VfB Stuttgart. On 27 November, Ribéry scored his first goal of the season in a 5–1 win against Benfica in the Champions League.
On 5 May 2019, Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
announced that Ribéry would be leaving the club at the end of the season, with a testimonial match set for 2020. On 18 May 2019, Ribéry won his ninth Bundesliga title with Bayern. With his ninth Bundesliga title, Ribéry became Bundesliga's all-time record champion (since surpassed by David Alaba and Thomas Müller). On 25 May 2019, Ribéry won his sixth DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
as Bayern defeated RB Leipzig
RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bu ...
3–0 in the 2019 DFB-Pokal Final
The 2019 DFB-Pokal Final decided the winner of the 2018–19 DFB-Pokal, the 76th season of the annual German football cup competition. The match was played on 25 May 2019 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
The match featured Bundesliga clubs RB L ...
. Ribéry came on as a substitute in the 87th minute and made history as this was his eighth DFB-Pokal final appearance. No other player has played in as many DFB-Pokal finals. Ribéry finished his career at Bayern with a club record 24 titles.
Fiorentina
In August 2019, Ribéry signed with Italian sideFiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...
on a free transfer. He made his debut for the club on 24 August, coming on as a late substitute in a 4–3 home loss to Napoli
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
in the opening game of the 2019–20 Serie A
The 2019–20 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 118th season of top-tier Italian football, the 88th in a round-robin tournament, and the 10th since its organization under an own league committee, the Lega Serie ...
season. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 away draw against Atalanta
Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology.
There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily known ...
on 22 September. In October 2019, he received a three-match ban after pushing a match official.
Salernitana
On 6 September 2021, Ribéry signed forSalernitana
Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919, commonly referred to as Salernitana, is
an Italian football club based in Salerno, Campania. The original club was founded in 1919 and has been reconstituted three times in the course of its history, most recentl ...
, agreeing a one-year contract with an automatical renewal in case the club succeeded to keep its Serie A status by the end of the season. Appointed as team captain, Ribéry played only a total of 23 league games due to recurring injuries.
As Salernitana escaped relegation by the final day of the season, Ribéry's contract was automatically extended by one more year. In the following 2022–23 season, Ribéry only managed to play 36 minutes in a game against Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
as he regularly struggled with a recurring knee injury, thus leading to rumours regarding his possible immediate retirement.
On 20 October 2022, Ribéry terminated his contract with Salernitana and announced his retirement, but agreed to stay at the club as a technical collaborator to head coach Davide Nicola
Davide Nicola (born 5 March 1973) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. He was most recently head coach of Serie A club Salernitana.
Club career
Nicola was born in Luserna San Giovanni.
During his time in Genoa C.F ...
.
International career
Prior to representing the senior team, Ribéry was ever present with the France under-21 team earning his first selection on 3 September 2004 in a 1–0 victory over Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
in qualifying for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 15th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Championship. In December 2005, Portugal was selected to host the finals of the competition, which took place from 23 May–4 June 2006. The tournament was w ...
. Ribéry scored his first under-21 goal five days later in a 1–0 friendly win over Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
. On 15 November 2005, he scored an important goal against England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
during the qualification playoffs as France defeated them 3–2 on aggregate to advance to the finals. Ribéry, however, missed the competition after earning selection to coach Raymond Domenech
Raymond Manuel Albert Domenech (; born 24 January 1952) is a French football manager and former player. He managed the France national team from 2004 to 2010, reaching the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final. He was dismissed after their elimination from ...
's pre-World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
squad. In total with the under-21s, Ribéry made 13 appearances scoring two goals.
Ribéry earned his first cap with the senior team in a 1–0 victory over Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
on 27 May 2006 appearing as a substitute in the 74th minute for striker David Trezeguet
David Sergio Trezeguet (born 15 October 1977) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Trezeguet began his career in Argentina with Club Atlético Platense at the age of eight, progressing through their youth sys ...
. His solid performances in the friendly matches ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
led to his inclusion in the team for the competition. Ribéry appeared in all seven matches France contested, starting six. On 27 June, he scored France's opening goal in the team's 3–1 Round of 16 win over Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
after receiving a through ball from Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira (born 23 June 1976) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Crystal Palace. He is widely considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. Vieira began his career at ...
, which allowed the winger to dribble past an oncoming Iker Casillas and shoot into the empty net. He played in the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
where France lost to Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
on penalties. Ribéry's only shot on goal came in extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
and he was later replaced by Trezeguet.
Following the retirement of Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the most ...
, it was expected that Ribéry would succeed him and become the national team's talisman. He went scoreless for almost a year and a half before converting a penalty shot against England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on 26 March 2008 at the Stade de France
The Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the France national foot ...
. Following the goal, Ribéry paid tribute to legendary French commentator Thierry Gilardi
Thierry Gilardi (26 July 1958 – 25 March 2008) was a French football commentator.
Biography
Gilardi was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines to a family of Italian ancestry. He was an avid reader of the French sports newspaper ''L'Équi ...
, who had died a day earlier. At Euro 2008
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...
, France performed below expectations, with Ribéry appearing in all three group stage matches as France suffered early elimination. On 17 June 2008, in the team's final group stage match against Italy, Ribéry ruptured a ligament in his left ankle in just the 8th minute of play. Ribéry returned to the team on 11 October 2008 in a FIFA World Cup qualification match against Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, scoring the team's opening goal in a 2–2 draw. On 28 March 2009, Ribéry scored the lone goal away to Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. Three days later, he completed this feat again, this time at the Stade de France, netting the winner in the 75th minute following service from André-Pierre Gignac
André-Pierre Christian Gignac (born 5 December 1985) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Liga MX club Tigres UANL. Gignac is described as a "powerful and dangerous" striker who is known for his "aerial presence". He ...
.
On 11 May 2010, Ribéry was named to Domenech's 30-man preliminary squad to participate in the 2010 World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
and his second World Cup overall. He was later named to the 23-man team to compete in the competition. Ribéry appeared in all three group stage matches. Following the team's opening match against Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, Ribéry was criticised for his performance by former international Just Fontaine
Just Louis Fontaine (born 18 August 1933) is a French former professional footballer. A prolific forward, he is best known for scoring the most goals in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, with thirteen in six matches in 1958. In 2004, Pel ...
, who questioned Ribéry's leadership ability. It was later reported by the media that Ribéry and striker Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (; born 14 March 1979) is a French professional football manager and retired player who played as a forward. As a player, he regularly featured in his country's national team, often scoring at crucial moments. Known f ...
purposely "froze-out" midfielder Yoann Gourcuff
Yoann Miguel Gourcuff (born 11 July 1986) is a French former professional footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder. He could also be utilized as a withdrawn striker, and was described as a "playmaker of real quality" who "is an a ...
. Anelka was later dismissed from the team after reportedly having a dispute in which obscenities were passed, with Domenech during half-time of the team's 2–0 loss to Mexico.
On 20 June, an emotional Ribéry appeared alongside Domenech on TF1's football show ''Téléfoot
''Téléfoot'' is a French football programme produced by TF1 Production for TF1. The programme was created by Pierre Cangioni in 1977 to show French Division 1 highlights. Téléfoot now covers France international matches, European club ...
'' to dispel rumours associated with the team and to also apologise to supporters for the national team's performance over the past two years, stating, "We rance
Rance may refer to:
Places
* Rance (river), northwestern France
* Rancé, a commune in eastern France, near Lyon
* Ranče, a small settlement in Slovenia
* Rance, Wallonia, part of the municipality of Sivry-Rance
** Rouge de Rance, a Devonian ...
are suffering at the moment," and, "I would like to say sorry to the whole country." The following day, the team boycotted a training session in response to Anelka's expulsion and, on 21 June, returned to training without incident. In the team's final group stage match against the hosts South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, Ribéry assisted on the team's only goal of the competition, scored by Florent Malouda
Florent Johan Malouda (born 13 June 1980) is a French football coach and former professional player.
A left winger, he spent most of his career at Lyon and Chelsea, winning four consecutive Ligue 1 titles with the former and the UEFA Champions ...
. France, however, lost the match 2–1, which resulted in the team's elimination from the competition. On 6 August, Ribéry was one of five players summoned to attend a hearing held by the Disciplinary Committee of the French Football Federation
The French Football Federation ( FFF; french: Fédération Française de Football) is the governing body of football in France. It also includes the overseas departments ( Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion), the over ...
(FFF) in response to the team's strike held at the World Cup. On 17 August, he received a three-match international ban for his part in the incident. Ribéry did not attend the hearing due to his parent club's objection.
On 17 March 2011, Ribéry was called up to the national team by new manager Laurent Blanc
Laurent Robert Blanc (born 19 November 1965) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back, and is currently the manager of Ligue 1 club Lyon. He has the nickname ''Le Président'', which was given to him ...
for the first time since the 2010 World Cup. He had been eligible to return to the team since October 2010 after serving his three-match suspension, but due to injuries, Ribéry missed three call-ups. On 21 March, after arriving to Clairefontaine ahead of the team's matches against Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
and Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
, Ribéry attended a personal press conference in which he apologised for his behaviour overall during the 2010 calendar year. He made his return to the team on 25 March in the team's match against Luxembourg and responded by assisting on the team's second goal, scored by Yoann Gourcuff, in its 2–0 win. In his first match at the Stade de France since his participation at the World Cup, against Croatia, Ribéry appeared as a substitute and was subject to jeers from some section of supporters, though other parts of the stadium chanted his name.
After appearing regularly in qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
, on 29 May 2012, Ribéry was named to the squad to participate in the competition. Two days prior, he scored his first goal for France in over three years in a 3–2 friendly comeback win over Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
. On 31 May, Ribéry scored the game-winning goal in a 2–0 win against Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. Four days later, he capped off the trio of lead-in friendly matches ahead of the European Championship by scoring the opening goal in a 4–0 shutout win over Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
.
Ribéry was included in France's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
, but on 6 June, coach Didier Deschamps
Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French professional football manager and former player who has been manager of the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, E ...
confirmed that he would miss the tournament through injury. Shortly afterwards, in August 2014 Ribéry retired from international football. He cited the reasons for his retirement as "purely personal".
Style of play and personality
Ribéry primarily played as a winger and was described as a player who was "fast, tricky, and an excellent dribbler who had great control with the ball at his feet". Despite being predominantly right-footed and utilised as a right-sided midfielder during his development years in France, since establishing himself as an international and at Bayern Munich, Ribéry personally admitted that his preference was to play on the left wing, even going as far as to state, "My place is on the left" when asked at a February 2010 media session while on international duty. Although he was often played on the left wing domestically, Ribéry struggled to establish himself as a left winger at the international level with France due to the presence of left-footed dominant players such as Florent Malouda. Ribéry declared that he was best utilised on the left side because "that is where I am most free and I am the best in my head". Playing on the left also allowed Ribéry to use his "bursts of acceleration and weaving runs" to effectively cut inside, which allowed him to take on opponents, exploit spaces, and give him the options of either shooting on goal with his stronger foot or delivering a decisive pass. Ribéry was also capable of playing in the centre of the field as anattacking midfielder
A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...
, where his vision, precise passing, technique, and playmaking skills were best exhibited; he was also deployed as a central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
on occasion. Despite predominantly playing on the wing, Ribéry was known to be an excellent assist provider: during his twelve seasons with Bayern Munich, he amassed 124 assists in the Bundesliga; moreover, he averaged double-digits in assists every year beginning with his final season at Marseille. In addition to his skills, eye for goal, and playing ability, he also drew praise in the media over his defensive work-rate, tenacity, mentality, and energetic playing style.
Ribéry was described as a provocateur on the field of play, with UEFA referring to him as "a crowd-pleaser – one of those rare breed of footballer capable of enjoying his talents while expressing them", due to his trickery, artistry, and creativity on the ball. During the 2006 World Cup, he was mentored by national team playmaker Zinedine Zidane. While boasting him as "the jewel of French football", Zidane also praised Ribéry as a person, declaring, "Franck just loves life. He's the kind of player that makes an impression every time he plays. He’s bound to become an important figure in the world of football."
Ribéry's on-field personality was often matched off-field as he was often referred to as a "joker" and "prankster" by club and international teammates. The midfielder has stated that humour is very important, admitting, "It's important to always be smiling, to wake up and feel good. We (footballers) have a great job, we like what we do and we have fun." His more notable stunts include driving a tractor
A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...
on field during one of his last matches with Marseille; in his debut season with Bayern, emptying a bucket of water over former club goalkeeper Oliver Kahn
Oliver Rolf Kahn (; born 15 June 1969) is a German football executive and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team in 1975. Twelve years later, Kahn made his debut match in t ...
from the roof of the club's training centre; and, during the 2008–09 winter break, commandeering the team bus while in Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
and crashing it.
Ribéry, however, also struggled with injuries throughout his career. Since his first season at Bayern in which he appeared in 46 of the club's 54 competitive matches, Ribéry struggled with minor and serious injuries that resulted in the player failing to appear in over 40 matches in subsequent seasons; the midfielder passed the 40-match barrier in the 2011–12 season after failing to in the previous three campaigns. Ahead of the 2008–09 season, he tore ligaments in one of his ankles while on international duty and, during the 2009–10 season, struggled with tendinitis in his left knee. In the next season, Ribéry suffered an ankle injury, which resulted in the midfielder missing two months, despite the initial diagnosis ruling him out for four weeks. He later suffered a similar ankle injury at the start of the 2011–12 season. Ribéry, himself, has admitted that injuries led to most of his five-year career at Bayern being difficult, stating in July 2011, "The last two years (2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons) have been more difficult, partly because I kept picking up injuries. The important thing for me now is to avoid any more injuries".
Personal life
Ribéry's younger brothers, François and Steeven, are also football players. François played for many amateur clubs in France, among others forBayonne
Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...
in the Championnat National. Steeven played for Bayern's reserve team for two years.
Ribéry's wife, Wahiba, is a French national of Algerian descent and the couple have three daughters named Hiziya, Shahinez and Keltoum Chérifa, and two sons named Seif el Islam and Mohammed. Ribéry is a convert to Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, following which, he adopted the name Bilal Yusuf Mohammed.
Commercial promotions
Since establishing himself as an international, Ribéry has been involved in numerous promotional campaigns. He is sponsored by American sportswear companyNike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
and regularly wears Nike Mercurial Vapor
The Mercurial Vapor is a football boot manufactured by Nike. The boot is known for being lightweight and has been endorsed by players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Eden Hazard, Raheem Sterling, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Didier Drogba, ...
s. He appeared in several television advertisements for Nike and, during the 2007–08 Bundesliga season, starred in a one-off television show called ''The Franck Ribéry Show'', which aired on Direct 8
Direct 8 was a national French TV channel, owned by Vincent Bolloré. It was available through digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television (DTTV or DTT, or DTTB with "broadcasting") is a technology for terrestrial televisi ...
in France. The show, sponsored by Nike, acted as a variety show with Ribéry appearing in several sketches. Ribéry features in EA Sports' ''FIFA'' video game series. For the 2008–09 season, he appeared on the French cover of '' FIFA 09'' alongside international teammate Karim Benzema
Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains La Liga club Real Madrid. A creative and prolific forward, Benzema is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time. ...
, and was the ninth-highest rated player in ''FIFA 15
''FIFA 15'' is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. It was released on 23 September 2014 in North America, 25 September in Europe and 26 September in the United Kingdom ...
''.
On 25 May 2010, a billboard of Ribéry was officially unveiled in his home city of Boulogne-sur-Mer ahead of the 2010 World Cup. The billboard paid tribute to a similar billboard that was erected for Zinedine Zidane in his home city of Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
during his career. The construction of the billboard was initially suspended due to possible image ramifications associated with Ribéry's alleged relationship with an underage prostitute.
However, the Regional Council of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Nord-Pas-de-Calais (); pcd, Nord-Pas-Calés); is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Cala ...
region, which initially opposed the billboard, agreed to allow construction of the billboard. The billboard was a project of Ribéry's sponsor Nike and was on display for the duration of the 2010 World Cup. More recently, he was one of several international superstars featured in Nike's "The Last Game", a five-minute animated ad made during the run-up to the 2014 World Cup that went viral.
He appeared in the music video for "Même pas fatigué !!!
"Même pas fatigué !!!" is a 2009 song recorded as duet by Magic System and Khaled. It was the lead single from Khaled's album ''Liberté'' on which it is the 18th track, and it also appeared on Kore's album ''Rai'N'B Fever : Même pas fatigué ...
" by Magic System
Magic System is an Ivory Coast, Ivorian coupé-décalé band from Abidjan. It was founded in 1996 and comprises Asalfo, Goude, Tino, and Manadja.
Magic System's recordings in the Zouglou dance style have featured in the charts throughout Africa ...
and Khaled. The single released in 2009 stayed seven weeks at number one in SNEP French Singles Chart.
Controversies
On 18 April 2010, it was first reported by French television service M6 that four members of the French national team were being investigated for their roles as clients of a prostitution ring that was being operated inside a Parisnightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
, with some of the women possibly being underage. The report also stated that two of the players were already questioned as witnesses by judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
André Dando and a group of magistrates
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
. The report described the two players as being one who "is a major player in a big foreign club" and that the other "plays in the championship of France Ligue 1". Later that day, the players were discovered to be Ribéry and Sidney Govou
Sidney Rodrigue Noukpo Govou (born 27 July 1979) is a French former professional footballer who played primarily as a winger, but was occasionally deployed as a striker. He holds the record for most Ligue 1 titles won (seven), along with Her ...
. During his interview with Dando, Ribéry reportedly admitted to having had a relationship with a prostitute, but did not know that she was a minor at the time the relationship began.
On 29 April 2010, the country's Secretary of State for Sports Rama Yade
Rama Yade (born Mame Ramatoulaye Yade; 13 December 1976) is a Senegalese-born French politician and the author of several books. She served as the French Secretary of Human Rights from 2007 to 2009, and the Secretary of Sports from 2009 to 2010 ...
, after refusing to publicly comment on the case in its infancy, declared that any player placed under investigation should not represent the France national team. The following day, a judicial source confirmed that Ribéry would not be placed under official investigation, if at all, before the start of the 2010 World Cup. On 20 July, Ribéry was questioned by Paris police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
and, following questioning, was indicted by judge Dando on the charge of "solicitation of a minor prostitute". In November 2011, prosecutors asked for the cases against Ribéry and Benzema to be dropped, saying that the players were not aware that the escort, identified as Zahia Dehar, was 16 years old when they had paid to have sex with her.
Career statistics
Club
* 1. Includes theFrench League Cup
The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France, ...
, German League Cup, German Super Cup
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
, and FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
.
International
Source: ;International goals ''France score listed first, score and result columns indicate score after each Ribéry goal.''Honours
Galatasaray
* Turkish Cup
The Turkish Cup ( Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...
: 2004–05
Marseille
* UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting pool'),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. often abbreviated and more known in the German-speaking world as UI Cup and originally called the International Foot ...
: 2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
Bayern Munich
* Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
: 2007–08, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
* DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
: 2007–08, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2018–19
* DFB-Ligapokal
The DFL-Ligapokal (, officially Premiere Ligapokal , previously DFB-Ligapokal ) or the ''German League Cup'' was a German football competition that took place before the start of the Bundesliga season, featuring the top five teams of the previous ...
: 2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
* DFL-Supercup: 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
* UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
: 2012–13
* UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
: 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
* FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
: 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
France
* FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
runner-up: 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
Individual
* UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: August 2004, October 2005, November 2005, April 2006
* UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year: 2006
* UNFP Ligue 1 Goal of the Year: 2006
* UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
* Etoile d'Or: 2006
* Onze de Bronze: 2006, 2008
* French Player of the Year
__FORCETOC__
The French Player of the Year is an association football award presented annually by the French magazine ''France Football'' since 1959. Originally, only French players playing in France were eligible, but from 1996 French players play ...
: 2007, 2008, 2013
* Footballer of the Year in Germany
The title Footballer of the Year (German: ''Fußballer des Jahres'') has been awarded in Germany since 1960. Eligible are German players as well as non-German players playing in Germany. In 1996, the title Women's Footballer of the Year (German ...
: 2008
* ESM Team of the Year
The European Sports Media (ESM), formerly European Sports Magazines, is an association of football-related publications in Europe.
Members
European Sports Media was established in 1989 as an international body for football journalism. Its nine fo ...
: 2007–08, 2012–13
* UEFA Team of the Year
The UEFA Fan's Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its official website. This award started in 2001 and allows users of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their ove ...
: 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
* UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
The UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award (previously known as the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award) is an association football award given to the footballer playing for a men's football club in Europe that is considered the best in the previous se ...
: 2012–13
* UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
Man of the Match: 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
* ''kicker
Kicker or The Kicker may refer to:
Sports
* Placekicker, a position in American and Canadian football
* ''Kicker'' (sports magazine), in Germany
* Kicker, the German colloquial term for an association football player
* Kicker, the word used i ...
'' Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
Team of the Season: 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
* UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2011–12
* Bundesliga top assist provider: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13
* Bundesliga Player of the Year: 2012–13
* The kicker Man of the Year: 2013
* Globe Soccer Best Footballer of the Year: 2013
* FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
Golden Ball: 2013
* FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
Most Valuable Player of the Final: 2013
* FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
* FIFA FIFPro World XI 5th team: 2014
* FIFA Ballon d'Or
The FIFA Ballon d'Or ("Golden Ball") was an annual association football award presented to the world's best men's player from 2010 to 2015. Awarded jointly by FIFA and ''France Football'', the prize was a merger of the FIFA World Player of the Ye ...
: Third place 2013
* DFB-Pokal top assist provider: 2016–17
* Serie A Player of the Month: September 2019
* Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...
Player of the Season: 2019–20
References
External links
* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ribery, Franck 1983 births Living people People from Boulogne-sur-Mer Converts to Islam French Muslims Sportspeople from Pas-de-Calais French footballers Association football wingers US Boulogne players Olympique Alès players Stade Brestois 29 players FC Metz players Galatasaray S.K. footballers Olympique de Marseille players FC Bayern Munich footballers ACF Fiorentina players U.S. Salernitana 1919 players Championnat National 2 players Championnat National players Ligue 1 players Süper Lig players Bundesliga players Serie A players France under-21 international footballers France international footballers 2006 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2008 players 2010 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2012 players UEFA Champions League winning players UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award winners French expatriate footballers French expatriate sportspeople in Turkey French expatriate sportspeople in Germany French expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate footballers in Turkey Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in Italy Footballers from Hauts-de-France