In the last two years, the Italian Serie A has seen the arrival of great champions who have restored luster and visibility to the Championship, rekindling the interest of Italian fans and beyond. After the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, major international stars followed the Portuguese phenomenon by joining the top Italian clubs: Lukaku, Vidal and Eriksen at Inter, Ibrahimovic with his return in style to Milan, De Ligt, Morata and Arthur at Juve; but probably one of the most sensational market hit was the arrival of Franck Ribery at Fiorentina at the beginning of the 2019/2020 season .
Now considered as a “ready to retire” player in the UK sport magazines, he still proves to be, at 39, decisive on the pitch, providing assists and scoring important goals for his team. Although an injury has kept him off the pitch for a while, all football fans are hoping for a quick return for Ribery. Let’s look a bit at the history of the French champion in this article.
The beginnings in France and the short Turkish interlude
Franck Ribery made his professional debut for Bolougne in 2000 and, after having played in Olympique Ales and Brest, he made his debut in 2004 in Ligue 1 with Metz. Midway through the 2004/2005 season, Ribery leaves France to face his first experience abroad accepting the Galatasaray’s welcome offer, with which he shows off not only in Turkey but also internationally.
At the end of the season the player receives the important proposal from Olympique Marseille, so that his return to France marks a fundamental step in his career, becoming an idol for the Marseille supporters and being called up by coach Domenech for the 2006 World Cup.
The definitive consecration in Germany with Bayern Munich
In light of his excellent performances with both the French national team and the OM, Ribery was bought in 2007 by Bayern Munich, one of the most famous and successful clubs in Europe. It is in Bavaria that the whole class of the French comes out, forming one of the best couples of his generation with the Dutchman Arjen Robben. In Germany, Ribery spent a total of twelve years, winning practically everything.
His Bayern palmares include 9 Bundesliga victories, 6 German Cups, 5 Super Cups, a Champions League, a European Super Cup and one Fifa Club World Cup.
Personal awards
In addition to having won many trophies with the clubs he played for, Franck Ribery can boast a long series of personal awards; for three times he was awarded as the “French Footballer of the Year”, also winning the “FIFA Best Player in Europe” (2021/2013), “Best Player of the Year – Globe Soccer Awards” (2013) and the “Golden Ball for the Fifa Club World Cup”.
Private life
At the age of two Franck Ribery was involved, together with his family, in a car accident that left him with a deep scar on his face, which is why Galatasaray fans nicknamed him Scarface. Ribery converted to the Islamic faith by taking the name of Bilal Yusuf Mohammed; the footballer has four children, Hizya, Seif, Mohammed and Shahinez, with his wife Wahiba Belhami.