If it is not yet officially confirmed, it should be in the hours to come. Franck Ribéry, the all-in-one of French football, an extraordinary talent and plenty of controversies, should retire. The little guy from Boulogne-sur-Mer broke out at Metz then at Olympique de Marseille, before going to get his kaïser stripes at Bayern Munich where he won the Champions League in 2013. And where he should have won the Ballon d’Or the same year.
Franck Ribéry had also complained at that time about the lack of support in France. If the Germans immediately respected him, in France, mockery accompanied him.
In 2006, Ribéry is a revelation
It all started well though. Dubbed by Zidane, Franck Ribéry had brought a breath of fresh air to the Blues. During the 2006 World Cup, Franck Ribéry was a revelation. Goals, smiles, crazy races, pranks.
In 2010, the debacle of Ribéry
And then the machine seized up. In 2010, the World Cup of shame in South Africa did not help. The clash between Anelka and Domenech and the players’ refusal to get off the bus. Without forgetting the arrival of Franck Ribéry in tap dance socks in Telefoot to be the clumsy spokesperson for a team adrift.
“Of course it’s exploded, as I say, we’re suffering, and it’s not just us, it’s France who is suffering, it’s our country. And I tell you honestly, it’s my heart talking, I’m suffering. We’re getting into something, everyone is making fun of us in the world. I’m in the balls” , he said.
Today, Franck Ribéry is leaving more discreetly. He sometimes slipped, laughed a lot and won almost everything. In the end, it’s a story of French football.