Arrivederci Monsieur Ribéry

The French Fantasista Says Goodbye after 22 years

Applauded by the entire stadium during the Salernitana-Spezia match, FR7 also had this to say on social media:

“For me, football is passion, fun, sacrifice, dedication. Football is my life.

When I look back on my career today, I am proud and more than happy about what I was able to experience.

I’m happy about every person I’ve met on my journey, proud of every club whose shirt I’ve worn, happy about every goal, every assist, every dribble, every tackle and every title.

For the fans, You motivated me, you pushed me and you showed me love. I miss it already.”

Let’s take a look at Franck’s innings: a career that spanned 22 years which began in 2000 and consisted of 25 trophies with Galatasaray, Marseille and Bayern Munich, including 9 Bundesliga titles and the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League.

Ribéry was also a FIFA World Cup runner-up, losing out to Fabio Cannavaro’s Italy in 2006 before finally retiring from international football in 2014.

Venerated by football lovers worldwide, he was French player of the year three times, included in the Uefa Team of the Year twice and finished in third place in the 2013 edition of the Ballon d’Or.

In search of a new challenge, Ribéry was Fiorentina’s player of the season in 2019–20 and won the Serie A Player of the Month award for September 2019.

Succumbing to another knee injury, FerraRi-bery ends his career after helping Salernitana to salvation in 2021–22, playing 24 times overall for the Granata including one match this season against Roma.

Perhaps he’ll be remembered fondly for his time at Fiorentina where he netted five times Serie A, twice against Milan, playing over 50 matches.

Monsieur Ribéry, Calcio fans were blessed to have you for your final seasons.

Ti Salutiamo, in bocca al lupo.