Ribéry began his career in 1999 as a youth player for hometown club US Boulogne, where he played for two years. After spending two more years in the amateur divisions with two different clubs, in 2004, he earned a move to Ligue 1 club FC Metz. After six months with the club, Ribéry moved to Turkey in January 2005 joining Galatasaray and, after six months there, departed the club in controversial fashion to join Marseille in France. In 2007, Ribéry joined German club Bayern Munich for a then club-record fee of €25 million. Since joining Bayern, Ribéry has been recognised on the world stage as one of the best French players of his generation. The previous talisman of Les Bleus, Zinedine Zidane, has called Ribéry the "jewel of French football".
Ribéry is a French International having represented his nation at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. At the 2006 World Cup, he scored his first international goal against Spain and played in the final match against Italy. Ribéry is a two-time winner of the French Player of the Year award and has also been named to the UEFA Team of the Year once.
Early and personal life
Ribéry was born on 7 April 1983 in Boulogne-sur-Mer and raised in a low-income neighborhood on the fringes of the city. When he was two years old, he and his family were involved in a car accident in his hometown, colliding with a truck. Ribéry suffered serious facial injuries that resulted in over one hundred stitches and left two long scars down the right side of his face. Ribéry's brother François is also a football player, and has played for numerous amateur clubs in France. François plays for Le Touquet Côte d'Opale based in Le Touquet. Ribéry's wife, Wahiba, is a French national of Algerian descent and the couple have two daughters. Ribéry is a convert to Islam and, following his conversion, adopted the name Bilal Yusuf Mohammed.
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. 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. The show, sponsored by Nike, acted as a variety show with Ribéry appearing in several sketches.
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 Yves 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". Later that day, the players were discovered to be Ribéry and Sidney Govou. 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. It is not known if Ribéry will be charged. On 29 April, 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. 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.
Club career
Early career
Ribéry began his football career at age six playing in the youth section of amateur club FC Conti de Boulogne-sur-Mer.[20][21] 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. 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. 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. In his only season at the club, Ribéry made 18 appearances scoring only one goal.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. 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. Ribéry's performance and the team as a whole led to the club finishing second in the league, thus earning promotion to Ligue 2.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.
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.His stellar play on the right side of midfield led to Metz supporters comparing him to Robert Pirès, a former Metz legend.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.
At Galatasaray, Ribéry was brought in by manager Gheorghe Hagi and appeared in 14 league matches as the club finished in 3rd 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. 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 out in the 52th minute with Galatasaray leading 3–1. The trophy was Ribéry's first major honour.
Move to Marseille and CAS ruling
Franck Ribéry with Marseille against Lille in October 2005.
On 15 June 2005, Ribéry announced that he would be returning to France joining Olympique de Marseille on a five-year contract, thus 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. 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.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. In July 2005, FIFA ruled in favor 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.
2005–06 season
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. On 17 September, he scored his first goal for the club in their 2–1 victory over Troyes. Two weeks later, Ribéry netted goals in back-to-back matches in victories over his former club Metz and Nice. On 19 November, Ribéry scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 win over Nantes. The goal, scored from almost 35 metres (1,400 in) out, was later voted the goal of the season by supporters. 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 Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year by the UNFP.
2006–07 season
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.[43] 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. Diouf later threatened to report Aulas to the Ligue de Football Professionnel for his actions. He also went as far as to accuse Ribéry's agent, Bruno Heiderscheid, of badly advising the player. Despite the tumultuous summer, Marseille continued to declare the player off limits with Ribéry having nearly four years left on his contract. On 11 August 2006, Ribéry confirmed his intentions to remain at the club for the 2006–07 season.
Franck Ribéry arguing with referee Hervé Piccirillo.
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. However, through the rest of the fall season, Ribéry went cold going scoreless. On 11 November 2006, he suffered a serious groin injury in Marseille's 1–0 loss to Lille. The resulting injury led to Ribéry missing the rest of the fall season returning following the winter break. On his return in January, Ribéry netted two goals in another win over Auxerre. The following month, Ribéry suffered a fractured foot in a match against Toulouse. 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. 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. 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 France Football Magazine's French Player of the Year award. The honor ended the four-year reign of Thierry Henry.
Bayern Munich
Franck Ribéry at a training session with Bayern Munich.
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. 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. 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. In the semifinals, he netted an early goal in a 2–0 win over defending champions VfB Stuttgart. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. In the competition's ultimate match, Ribéry assisted on Luca Toni's opener in the 11th minute. Bayern won the match 2–1, claiming their 14th cup title.
In the UEFA Cup, Bayern reached the semifinals 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.He was also named the French Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
2008–09 season
Due to tearing ligaments in his ankle at Euro 2008, Ribéry began the season with Bayern on 24 September 2008 in a German Cup match against Nuremberg appearing as a substitute in the 65th minute. 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.[70] 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, 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.On 24 February 2009, he scored a double in the club's 5–0 win over Portuguese club Sporting in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash. 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 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 issuing 19 assists.
2009–10 season
"I hope he stays. For me, he’s up there with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the best players in the world."
Former Bayern Munich player and president Franz Beckenbauer, on Ribéry's future with the club.
Following the 2008–09 season, constant speculation began to surface regarding Ribéry's availability on the transfer market. Despite Bayern president Uli Hoeneß, executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and new manager Louis van Gaal declaring that Ribéry would not be sold, numerous media outlets declared that English clubs Chelsea and Manchester United, Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid, and Italian outfit Internazionale had strong interest in the player with many of the clubs willing to offer as much as €65 million for the player. In order to quell the interest, Hoeneß declared that Ribéry would leave for nothing less than €100 million.
Ribéry before UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United in April 2010.
Ribéry started the 2009–10 season struggling with tendonitis in his left knee, but was healthy enough to start the season scoring his first goal in the third league match against Borussia Dortmund. However, in early October the tendinitis began to affect his play, which resulted in Ribéry missing the rest of the year, as well as France's World Cup playoff tie with the Republic of Ireland. Ribéry returned to the team on 23 January 2010 appearing as a substitute in the club's 3–2 league win over Werder Bremen.[84] On 31 March, he scored the equalizing goal in Bayern's 2–1 first leg win over English club Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals after converting a free kick, which deflected off of striker Wayne Rooney before going into the net.In the club's ensuing match, Ribéry scored the opening goal in the team's 2–1 victory over Schalke.
On 20 April, Ribéry was sent off by referee Roberto Rosetti in the club's first leg UEFA Champions League semi-final against Lyon after being adjudged to have committed serious foul play on Lyon striker Lisandro. The expulsion resulted in Ribéry missing the second leg in Lyon, which Bayern won to advance to the UEFA Champions League final. On 28 April, Ribéry was handed a three-match suspension by UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body for assault. The suspension means that Ribéry will miss the final. Bayern Munich announced their intent to appeal the suspension. On 5 May, the club's appeal was heard by the UEFA Appeals Body and Ribéry's ban was upheld. Ribéry will miss the final on 22 May and the next UEFA club competition fixture for which he is eligible. However, immediately after the ruling, Bayern responded by announcing their intent to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
International career
Ribéry playing for France against Colombia in June 2008.
Prior to representing the senior team, Ribéry was ever present with the France under-21 team earning his first selection on 3 September 2004 in a 1–0 victory over Israel in qualifying for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.[94] Ribéry scored his first under-21 goal five days later in a 1–0 friendly win over Slovakia.[95] On 15 November 2005, he scored an important goal against England during the qualification playoffs as France defeated them 3–2 on aggregate to advance to the finals. Ribéry, however, missed the competition after earning selection to coach Raymond Domenech's pre-World Cup squad. In total with the under-21s, Ribéry made 13 appearances scoring two goals.
Ribéry earned his first cap with the senior team in a 1–0 victory over Mexico on 27 May 2006 appearing as a substitute in the 74th minute for striker David Trézéguet. His solid performances in the friendly matches ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup led to his inclusion in the team for the competition. Ribéry appeared in all seven matches France contested starting six. On 27 June, he scored France's opening goal in the team's 3–1 Round of 16 win over Spain after receiving a through ball from Patrick Vieira, which allowed the winger to dribble past an oncoming Iker Casillas and shoot into the empty net. He later played in the final where France lost to Italy on penalties. Ribéry's only shot on goal came in extra time and he was later replaced by Trézéguet.
Following the retirement of Zinedine Zidane, it was expected that Ribéry would succeed him and become the national team's talisman. He went scoreless for almost a year and a half before converting a penalty shot against England on 26 March 2008 at the Stade de France. Following the goal, Ribéry paid tribute to legendary French commentator Thierry Gilardi who had passed away a day earlier. At Euro 2008, France performed under expectations with Ribéry appearing in all three group stage matches as France suffered early elimination. On 17 June 2008, in the team's final group stage match against Italy, Ribéry ruptured a ligament in his left ankle in just the 8th minute of play.Ribéry returned to the team on 11 October 2008 in a FIFA World Cup qualification match against Romania and scored the team's opening goal in a 2–2 draw. On 28 March 2009, he scored the lone goal away to Lithuania.Three days later, he completed this feat again, this time at the Stade de France, netting the winner in the 75th minute following service from André-Pierre Gignac.
Career statistics
Club
Statistics accurate as of 1 May 2010
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Boulogne 2000–01 4 1 0 0 – 0 0 0 0 4 1
2001–02 24 5 1 0 – 0 0 0 0 25 5
Total 28 6 1 0 – 0 0 0 0 29 6
Alès 2002–03 19 1 0 0 – 0 0 0 0 19 1
Total 19 1 0 0 – 0 0 0 0 19 1
Brest 2003–04 35 3 2 1 – 0 0 0 0 37 4
Total 35 3 2 1 – 0 0 0 0 37 4
Metz 2004–05 20 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 22 1
Total 20 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 22 1
Galatasaray 2004–05 14 0 3 1 – 0 0 0 0 17 1
Total 14 0 3 1 – 0 0 0 0 17 1
Marseille 2005–06 35 6 6 3 0 0 12 3 0 0 53 12
2006–07 25 5 6 1 2 0 5 1 0 0 38 7
Total 60 11 12 4 2 0 17 4 0 0 91 19
Bayern Munich 2007–08 28 11 5 3 – 11 3 2 3 46 20
2008–09 25 9 3 1 – 8 4 0 0 36 14
2009–10 18 4 3 1 – 7 1 0 0 28 6
Total 71 24 11 5 – 26 8 2 3 110 40
Career total 244 46 29 11 3 0 41 12 2 3 319 72
International
(Correct as of 3 March)
National team Season Apps Goals Assists
France 2005–06 10 1 4
2006–07 8 1 2
2007–08 12 2 2
2008–09 8 3 1
2009–10 4 0 0
Total 42 7 9
International goals
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 27 June 2006 FIFA WM Stadion Hannover, Hanover, Germany Spain
1 – 1
3 – 1
2006 FIFA World Cup
2. 2 June 2007 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France Ukraine
1 – 0
2 – 0
UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
3. 26 March 2008 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France England
1 – 0
1 – 0
Friendly match
4. 3 June 2008 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France Colombia
1 – 0
1 – 0
Friendly match
5. 11 October 2008 Stadionul Farul, Constanţa, Romania Romania
1 – 2
2 – 2
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6. 28 March 2009 S. Darius and S. Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas, Lithuania Lithuania
1 – 0
1 – 0
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
7. 1 April 2009 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France Lithuania
1 – 0
1 – 0
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours
Club
Galatasaray
Turkish Cup: 2005
Marseille
UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2005
Bayern Munich
German Cup: 2007–08
Bundesliga: 2007–08
DFB-Ligapokal: 2007
[edit]Individual
UNFP Young Player of the Year: 2005–06
Ligue 1 Goal of the Year: 2005–06
UNFP Player of the Month: August 2004, October 2005, November 2005, April 2006
French Player of the Year: 2007, 2008
German Footballer of the Year: 2008
UEFA Team of the Year: 2008
Source:wikipedi
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