Franck Ribéry (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃k ʁi.be.ʁi]) (born 7 April 1983) is a French international footballer who plays for German clubBayern Munich in the Bundesliga and for the France national team. He primarily plays as a winger, preferably on the left side although being right-footed, and is known for pace, energy, skill and precise passing.[2] Ribéry is described as a player who is fast, tricky and an excellent dribbler, who has great control with the ball at his feet.[3] Since joining Bayern, he has been recognised on the world stage as one of the best French players of his generation. The previous talisman of French national team, Zinedine Zidane, has called Ribéry the "jewel of French football".[4]
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, but departed the club after three years after having difficulties adjusting. In 1999, Ribéry joined US Boulogne, where he played for two years. After spending two more years in the amateur divisions with two different clubs (Alès and Brest), in 2004, Ribéry earned a move to Ligue 1 club FC Metz. After six months with the club, Ribéry moved to Turkey in January 2005 joining Galatasaray where he won the Turkish Cup. After six months at Galatasaray, he departed the club in controversial fashion in order to return to France to join Marseille. Ribéry spent two seasons at the club helping the Marseillais 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. There, he has won the double on two occasions; in the 2007–08 and 2009–10 seasons. In 2010, Ribéry reached with FC Bayern the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final, but was unable to participate in the match due to suspension. In 2012, Ribéry reached the final again, but Bayern lost against Chelsea on penalties. Finally in 2013, Ribéry won the Champions League and the Treble, with Bayern Munich in a "German" final against rivals Borussia Dortmund.
Ribéry is a French international. Prior to representing the senior team, he played at under-21 level. At senior level, Ribéry has represented his nation at two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Football Championships. He made his international debut in May 2006 against Mexico. At the 2006 World Cup, Ribéry scored his first international goal against Spain and played in the final match against Italy. Individually, Ribéry is a two-time winner of the French Player of the Year award and has also won the German 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 was ranked as the third-best footballer in Europe by Bloomberg,[5] he was also ranked the second-best footballer in the world by Goal[6] and won the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.[7
Personal life[edit]
Ribéry was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais and raised in a low-income neighbourhood on the fringes of the city.[8] When he was two years old, he and his family were involved in a car accident in his hometown, colliding with a truck.[9] Ribéry 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.[9] Prior to joining Stade Brestois in 2003, he worked as a construction worker with his father, which Ribéry referred to as a "learning experience".[10]
Ribéry's younger brother François is also a football player, and has played for numerous amateur clubs in France. François played for Bayonne in the Championnat National.[11]Ribéry's wife, Wahiba, is a French national of Algerian descent and the couple have two daughters and a son.[2][12][13] Ribéry is a convert to Islam[14][15] and, following his conversion, adopted the name Bilal Yusuf Mohammed.[16][17]
Since establishing himself as an international, Ribéry has been involved in numerous promotional campaigns. For the 2008–09 season, he appeared, alongside international teammate Karim Benzema, on the French cover of video game FIFA 09.[18] Ribéry is sponsored by American sportswear company Nike and regularly wears Nike Mercurial Vapors. He has appeared in several television advertisements for the brand and, during the 2007–08 Bundesliga season, starred in a one-time television show called "The Franck Ribéry Show", which aired on Direct 8 in France.[19][20] The show, sponsored by Nike, acted as a variety show with Ribéry appearing in several sketches.[21]
On 25 May 2010, a 27 by 30 metres (89 ft × 98 ft) billboard of Ribéry was officially unveiled in his home city of Boulogne-sur-Mer ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The billboard paid tribute to a similar billboard that was erected for Zinedine Zidane in his home city of Marseille during his career.[22] The construction of the billboard was initially suspended due to possible image ramifications associated with Ribéry's alleged relationship with an underage prostitute.[23] However, the Regional Council of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais 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 FIFA World Cup.[24]
Alleged prostitute scandal[edit]
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 of a Paris nightclub with some of the women possibly being underage. The report also stated that two of the players were already questioned as witnesses by judge André Dando and a group of magistrates. 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".[25] Later that day, the players were discovered to be Ribéry and Sidney Govou.[26] During his interview with Dando, Ribéry reportedly admitted to having a relationship with a prostitute, but did not know that she was a minor at the time the relationship began.[27][28]
On 29 April 2010, the country's Secretary of State for Sports Rama Yade, 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.[29] 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 FIFA World Cup.[30] On 20 July, Ribéry was questioned by Paris police and, following questioning, was indicted by judge Dando on the charge of "solicitation of a minor prostitute".[31][32][33] 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.[34]
Club career[edit]
Early career[edit]
Ribéry began his football career at age six playing in the youth section of amateur club FC Conti de Boulogne-sur-Mer.[35][36] After a seven-year stay, in 1996, he joined professional outfit Lille, who were playing in the second division. While at Lille, Ribéry excelled athletically, but developed academic and behavioral problems, which led to Lille releasing him.[35][37] 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".[38]
After leaving Lille, Ribéry returned to his hometown joining the biggest club in the city, US Boulogne. 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.[39] In his second season with the club, Ribéry appeared in 25 league matches converting five goals. Though 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.[40] In his only season at the club, Ribéry made 18 appearances scoring only one goal.[41] 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.[42] The resulting news led to Ribéry signing with Stade Brest, another Championnat National club. At Brest, Ribéry established himself as a premier player in the league appearing in 35 league matches scoring three goals.[43] Ribéry's performance and the team as a whole led to the club finishing second in the league, thus earning promotion to Ligue 2.[36]
Despite the success with Brest, Ribéry sought to play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. His dream came to fruition when FC Metz's manager Jean Fernandez took a liking to him and recruited him on a free transfer.[36] Ribéry only spent half a season at Metz, but impressed earning the UNFP Player of the Month in August 2004. He scored his only league goal for Metz on 6 November in the team's 1–1 draw with Toulouse.[44] His stellar play on the right side of midfield led to Metz supporters comparing him to Robert Pirès, a former Metz legend.[37] After negotiations on an extension ended in a stalemate, in January 2005, Ribéry relocated to Turkey. There he joined Galatasaray on an initial loan deal; the Istanbul-based outfit had the right to pay Metz €2 million to make the move permanent.
Galatasaray[edit]
At Galatasaray, Ribéry was brought in by manager Gheorghe Hagi 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.[45][46][47][48] In the Turkish Cup, 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[edit]
On 15 June 2005, Ribéry announced that he would be returning to France joining Ligue 1 club Marseille 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.[49] Ribéry argued that he had not been paid his wages by the club and asked FIFA, the sport's governing body, 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.[50] A day after announcing his move, Galatasaray officials and manager Eric Gerets blasted the player for betraying the club and also announced their intent to ask FIFA to probe the situation.[49][51]
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. 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.[52]
2005–06 season[edit]
Upon his arrival, Ribéry was handed the number 7 shirt and made his debut on 30 July 2005 in a 2–0 defeat to Bordeaux collecting a yellow card.[53] On 17 September, he scored his first goal for the club in their 2–1 victory over Troyes.[54] Two weeks later, Ribéry netted goals in back-to-back matches in victories over his former club Metz and Nice.[55][56] On 19 November, Ribéry scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 win overNantes.[57] The goal, scored from almost 35 metres (1,400 in) out, was later voted the goal of the season by supporters.[58]
In the Coupe de France, Ribéry performed well scoring a double against Le Havre and scoring the opening goal in Marseille's 3–1 semi-final victory over Rennes. The win pushed Marseille through to the 2006 final where they faced Le Classique rivals Paris Saint-Germain, which merited Ribéry his second consecutive cup final appearance. Unfortunately, Marseille faltered losing 2–1 to the Parisian club. In Europe, Ribéry scored two goals in the UEFA Intertoto Cup against Italian club Lazio and Spanish outfit Deportivo de La Coruña. In the UEFA Cup, he scored one goal converting it in the second leg of Marseille's Round of 32 tie with Premier League club Bolton Wanderers. Ribéry was later named the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year.
2006–07 season[edit]
Following Ribéry's success internationally at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a bidding war occurred in order to obtain his services with English club Arsenal initially offering €15 million for the player. However, Arsenal would be trumped by Spanish club Real Madrid, who offered €30 million for the Frenchman, according to Marseille directors.[59] Rivals Olympique Lyonnais also sought Ribéry's services with president Pape Diouf accusing Jean-Michel Aulas of tapping-up Ribéry after it was discovered that the Lyon chairman visited the France national team and Ribéry himself during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.[60] Diouf later threatened to report Aulas to the Ligue de Football Professionnel for his actions.[61] He also went as far as to accuse Ribéry's former agent, Bruno Heiderscheid, of badly advising the player.[62] Despite the tumultuous summer, Marseille continued to declare the player off limits with Ribéry having nearly four years left on his contract.[63] On 11 August 2006, Ribéry confirmed his intentions to remain at the club for the 2006–07 season.[64]
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 in a 3–0 trouncing.[65] On 11 November 2006, Ribéry suffered a serious groin injury in Marseille's 1–0 loss to Lille.[66]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.[67] The following month, Ribéry suffered a fractured foot in a match against Toulouse.[68]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 in a 4–2 win and Monaco in another victory.[69][70]
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, Marseille were heavy favorites over Sochaux, a team they had completely dominated just 12 days prior. However, Sochaux recorded an upset victory defeating Marseille 5–4 on penalties after the match ended 2–2 following extra time. Ribéry's final match with Marseille was a 1–0 win over Sedan on the final match day of the season.[71] The victory secured 2nd 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 by French sports publication France Football. The honor ended the four-year reign of Thierry Henry.[72]
Bayern Munich[edit]
2007–08 season[edit]
On 7 June 2007, German club Bayern Munich 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.[73] Ribéry was given the number 7 shirt, which was freed up due to the retirement of midfielder Mehmet Scholl at the end of the previous season.[74] He made his team début one month later, scoring twice in an 18–0 friendly drubbing of Munich youth side FT Gern. Ribéry made his competitive debut for Bayern on 21 July 2007 against Werder Bremen in the first round of the Premiere Ligapokal scoring twice and also assisting on another in a 4–1 victory.[75] In the semifinals, he netted an early goal in a 2–0 win over defending champions VfB Stuttgart.[76] Due to 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.[77] 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 Bochum.[78]A month later, Ribéry recorded this feat again providing the assist on the opening goal scored by Miroslav Klose and scoring the game winning goal in a 2–1 win over Wolfsburg.[79] In the German Cup, he recorded two goals and provided four assists in five matches Bayern Munich 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.[80] In the semifinals, Ribéry scored the opening goal in Bayern's 2–0 win over Wolfsburg, which resulted in the club qualifying for the final where they faced Borussia Dortmund.[81] In the DFB-Pokal final, Ribéry assisted onLuca Toni's opener in the 11th minute. Bayern won the match 2–1 against rivals Borussia Dortmund, claiming their 14th cup title.[82]
In the UEFA Cup, Bayern reached the semi-finals with Ribéry scoring three goals in the competition including one in the Germans' comeback win over Spanish club Getafe in the quarterfinals. 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 German Footballer of the Year.[83] He was also named the French Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.[84]
2008–09 season[edit]
Due to tearing ligaments in his ankle at Euro 2008, Ribéry began the season with Bayern on 24 September 2008 in a DFB-Pokal match against Nürnberg appearing as a substitute in the 65th minute.[85] 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 Wolfsburg.[86]Following the match, Ribéry proceeded to go on a goal-scoring rampage converting at least one goal 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 provided the assists on the other two in Bayern's 3–2 victory over Lyon in the UEFA Champions League. For his performances during the 2008 calendar year, he finished third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the Onze d'Or. Ribéry was also shortlisted by the French magazine France Football for the 2008 Ballon d'Or award,[87] won by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ribéry's 2009 debut saw Bayern earn a 5–1 German Cup win over Stuttgart with the player scoring and also providing an assist.[88] On 24 February 2009, he scored a double in the club's 5–0 win over Portuguese club Sporting CP in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash.[89] Bayern were later eliminated 5–1 on aggregate by Spanish champions Barcelona in the next round, with Ribéry scoring a consolation goal in the second leg in a 1–1 draw at the Allianz.[90]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.
No comments:
Post a Comment