MY ACCOUNT
Franck Ribery’s playing career has come to an end.
On Friday, the former France and Bayern Munich winger announced his retirement at the age of 39, having agreed to terminate his deal with Serie A club Salernitana.
He signed for Salernitana ahead of last season, though for the first time since the 2004-05 season, failed to score in the league.
His sole Serie A appearance this season came in a 1-0 defeat to Roma back in August, as a second-half substitute, and in truth it was no surprise when rumours recently emerged of his imminent retirement.
There can be no doubt, however, that Ribery will go down as one of European football’s greats of the modern era.
In 2013, Ribery was nominated for the Ballon d’Or, finishing third in the voting behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Falling short against two of the best to play the game is no shame, and using Opta data, here are some of the key facts from Ribery’s glittering career.
Ligue 1 breakthrough
Having made a name for himself with Brest in Ligue 2, Ribery was recruited by Metz in 2004. He spent only half a season there and scored just one goal before joining Turkish giants Galatasaray, yet he made a big impact, with comparisons drawn to one of the club’s greatest exports, Robert Pires.
His only goal in Turkey came in the Turkish Cup final against Gala’s great rivals Fenerbahce, in a 5-1 victory. Having claimed his first trophy, Ribery headed home to France, signing for Marseille.
It was a messy move, with FIFA ultimately ruling in Ribery’s favour after the player claimed he had not been paid his wages by Gala, as well as alleging to have been threatened by his former agent and a club director.
Ribery spent two seasons with Marseille and became a star, being named the National Union of Professional Footballers’ (UNFP) Young Player of the Year in 2006.
His performances at the 2006 World Cup (more on that later) only increased his profile, with Marseille seeing off interest from Real Madrid, Arsenal and, controversially, rivals Lyon to keep hold of Ribery.
That decision paid off for OM. In his final campaign in France, in 2006-07, Ribery provided eight assists, behind only Nancy’s Benjamin Gavanon (nine), and had the highest tally of chances created per 90 minutes (2.95) among players who had featured for over 100 minutes across the season.
Marseille finished second, after losing in the final of the Coupe de France, and Ribery was named the French Player of the Year by France Football.
Flourishing for France
Ribery made his debut for Les Bleus in May 2006, ahead of the World Cup in Germany, where he truly made his name as a superstar.
Between making his debut and playing his final international match in March 2014, Ribery featured in more France games than any other player (81) in the same period, 11 ahead of second-ranked Florent Malouda.
Indeed, his 37 goal involvements (16 goals, 21 assists) was more than any other French player, and puts him sixth on the nation’s goal involvements list in the 21st century.
He helped France reach the final of the 2006 World Cup, though they failed to make it out of the group stage in South Africa four years later, while success also eluded them in the Euros during Ribery’s stint on the international stage.
Greatness in Germany
In 2007, Bayern paid Marseille €25million for the 24-year-old. It was an investment worth every cent.
Ribery went on to play 425 times for Bayern in all competitions, making him the non-German player with the second-most appearances for the club, behind David Alaba (431), since 1965.
When it comes to French players, only Jonathan Schmid has made more Bundesliga appearances (296) than Ribery (273), who scored 124 goals in all competitions for Bayern.
Since detailed data collection of the Bundesliga began in 2004, Thomas Muller is the only player to provide more assists than Ribery, who set up 92 goals.
Ribery was at the peak of his powers in the 2012-13 season, as he helped Bayern win the treble and was named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, before going on to come third in the Ballon d’Or rankings.
That season, he provided 14 assists in the Bundesliga, a total trailing only Andres Iniesta (16) when it came to players in Europe’s big five leagues.
Ribery left Bayern as a club great, having formed one of the all-time most fearsome wing partnerships with Arjen Robben. He won nine Bundesliga titles, a tally that trails only former club-mates Alaba and Robert Lewandowski (10 each) when it comes to foreign players in Germany’s top tier.
Italian swansong
After leaving Bayern, Ribery tried his hand in Italy, joining Fiorentina.
Over his two seasons in Florence, Ribery created 70 goalscoring opportunities in Serie A, behind only Erick Pulgar (104) in Fiorentina’s squad. His dribbling ability was still top class, too, with Gaetano Castrovilli his only team-mate to complete more dribbles (123 to Ribery’s 117).
Ribery played 51 times for Fiorentina in all competitions, starting on 47 occasions. He scored five goals, contributed nine assists and had 182 touches in the opposition’s box. Surprisingly, he played only five successful crosses, though he was often deployed in a more central role for La Viola.
In his 25 matches for Salernitana, Ribery failed to score, though his three assists in Serie A mean he is the club’s joint-top creator of goals, alongside Milan Djuric and Pasquale Mazzocchi, in the same timeframe.
