Franck Ribéry

Franck Henry Pierre Ribéry (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃k ʁibeʁi]; born 7 April 1983) is a French former professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, preferably on the left side, and was known for his pace, energy, skill, and precise passing. He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest wingers in the history of the sport. He is currently in charge as a technical collaborator of Italian Serie C club Salernitana, which was also his final club as a player.

In 1999, Ribéry joined US Boulogne, where he played for two years. After spending two more years in the amateur divisions with two clubs (Alès and Brest), Ribéry earned a move to Ligue 1 club Metz in 2004. After six months with the club, Ribéry moved to Turkey in January 2005 to join Galatasaray, where he won the Turkish Cup. After six months at Galatasaray, he controversially departed the club to return to France to join Marseille. Ribéry spent two seasons at the club, helping them reach the final of the Coupe de France in back-to-back seasons.

In 2007, Ribéry joined German club Bayern Munich for a then club-record fee of €25 million. In his debut season, he helped Bayern win the domestic double, his first of nine and six Bundesliga and DPB-Pokal titles, respectively. He was rewarded with the German Footballer of the Year award. In 2012–13, he was pivotal to Bayern winning the continental treble. At Bayern, he won a then club record of 24 titles over twelve seasons. Ribéry was also known for his partnership with fellow winger Arjen Robben, dubbed as Robbery. He left Bayern in summer 2019, and subsequently joined Italian side Fiorentina, while Robben retired from football. After two years in Florence, Ribery joined Salernitana, the final club of his career, before retiring in 2022.

Between 2006 and 2014, Ribéry played for the France national team 81 times. He played at two FIFA World Cups (2006 and 2010) and two UEFA European Championships (2008 and 2012). Individually, Ribéry is a three-time winner of the French Player of the Year 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 and declared the Young Player of the Year in France. In 2013, Ribéry won the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award and was nominated alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the three-man shortlist for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or.