Franck Ribéry facts for kids
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Ribéry with Bayern Munich in 2019
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 April 1983 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Boulogne-sur-Mer, France | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Winger | |||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Salernitana (technical collaborator) | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1996 | FC Conti Boulogne | |||||||||||||||
| 1996–1999 | Lille | |||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Boulogne | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Boulogne | 28 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Alès | 19 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Brest | 35 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Metz | 20 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2005 | Galatasaray | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Marseille | 60 | (11) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2019 | Bayern Munich | 273 | (86) | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Fiorentina | 50 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Salernitana | 24 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 523 | (114) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | France U21 | 13 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2014 | France | 81 | (16) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Franck Ribéry (born 7 April 1983) is a French former professional footballer. He mostly played as a winger, usually on the left side. Ribéry was known for his speed, energy, skill, and accurate passes. Many people consider him one of the best players of his time.
Ribéry started his football journey in 1989 as a young player for his local club, FC Conti Boulogne. After seven years, he joined Lille, a professional team. In 1999, Ribéry moved to US Boulogne, where he played for two years. He then spent two more years in amateur leagues with Alès and Brest.
In 2004, Ribéry joined Ligue 1 club Metz. Six months later, he moved to Turkey to play for Galatasaray. There, he helped the team win the Turkish Cup. After a short time in Turkey, he returned to France to join Marseille. He played two seasons for Marseille, helping them reach the Coupe de France final twice.
In 2007, Ribéry joined German club Bayern Munich for a record fee of €25 million. With Bayern, he won many titles, including nine Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokal, one UEFA Champions League, and one FIFA Club World Cup. This included five "doubles" (winning league and cup) and one "treble" (winning league, cup, and Champions League). He won a club record of 24 titles in twelve seasons.
His great performance in Bayern's 2012–13 season, when they won the treble, led to him being nominated for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or. He was on the shortlist with famous players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. During his time at Bayern, Ribéry and fellow winger Arjen Robben were a very successful duo. Fans called them "Robbery." He left Bayern in 2019 and later joined Italian team Fiorentina.
From 2006 to 2014, Ribéry played 81 times for the French national team. He played in two FIFA World Cups (2006 and 2010) and two UEFA European Championships (2008 and 2012). Ribéry won the French Player of the Year award three times. He also won the German Footballer of the Year award, being the first player to win both. In 2013, he won the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award.
Ribéry is now a technical collaborator for Italian club Salernitana, which was his last club as a player.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Ribéry was born on 7 April 1983 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. When he was two years old, he was in a car accident with his family. He suffered serious facial injuries that needed many stitches. These injuries left two long scars on the right side of his face. Before becoming a professional footballer, he worked with his father in construction.
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Football Journey
Ribéry started playing football at age six for a local club called FC Conti de Boulogne-sur-Mer. In 1996, he joined Lille, a professional team. He left Lille after three years.
After leaving Lille, Ribéry returned to his hometown and joined US Boulogne. He played for their senior team and helped them get promoted to a higher division. He then played for Olympique Alès and Stade Brest. At Brest, he played very well, helping the team get promoted to Ligue 2.
Ribéry wanted to play in Ligue 1, France's top division. His dream came true when Metz signed him in 2004. He played well for Metz, even being named the UNFP Player of the Month in August 2004. In January 2005, he moved to Turkey to join Galatasaray.
Time in Turkey and Return to France
At Galatasaray, Ribéry played 14 league matches. Fans nicknamed him "Ferraribery" because of his quick speed. He was key in Galatasaray's 5–1 win over rivals Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Cup final. He scored the first goal and helped with another. This was Ribéry's first major trophy.
In June 2005, Ribéry decided to return to France and join Marseille. There was a disagreement with Galatasaray about his contract. Ribéry said he hadn't been paid, and FIFA, football's governing body, ruled in his favor. This allowed him to join Marseille.
Success at Marseille
Ribéry quickly became an important player for Marseille. He wore the number 7 shirt. In September 2005, he scored his first goal for the club. He scored a fantastic goal from far away against Nantes, which fans voted as the goal of the season.
In the French Cup, Ribéry helped Marseille reach the final. They played against rivals Paris Saint-Germain but lost 2–1. Ribéry was named the Young Player of the Year in France.
After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, many big clubs wanted to sign Ribéry. But he decided to stay with Marseille for the 2006–07 season. He continued to play well, even after suffering a groin injury. Marseille finished second in the league, their best finish in years. After the season, Ribéry was named the French Player of the Year.
Joining Bayern Munich
On 7 June 2007, Ribéry joined German club Bayern Munich. He signed a four-year deal, and Bayern paid Marseille a club-record €25 million. He was given the number 7 shirt.
Winning the Double
Ribéry made his first appearance for Bayern in a friendly match, scoring twice. He scored his first league goal for the club in August. In the German Cup, he scored important goals, helping Bayern reach the final. Bayern won the final 2–1 against Borussia Dortmund, claiming their 14th cup title.
Ribéry played 46 matches in his first season, scoring 16 goals and assisting 17. Bayern won both the league and the cup. For his great performance, Ribéry was named the Footballer of the Year in Germany and French Player of the Year for the second time.
Champions League Journey
Ribéry faced some injuries in the following seasons. In the 2008–09 season, he scored in five straight league matches. He also scored in the Champions League against Lyon. He finished third for the Onze d'Or award, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
In the 2009–10 season, Ribéry struggled with a knee injury. He returned in January 2010 and scored important goals in the German Cup and Champions League. He received a red card in the Champions League semi-final against Lyon, which meant he missed the final. Bayern lost the final 2–0. In May 2010, Ribéry signed a new five-year contract with Bayern, becoming one of the highest-paid players in the club's history.
Treble Winners
The 2012–13 season was one of Ribéry's best. He helped Bayern win the 2012 DFL-Supercup against Borussia Dortmund. He provided many assists throughout the season, leading the Bundesliga with 15 assists.
Ribéry was a key player as Bayern won the Champions League in an all-German final against Dortmund. He assisted Arjen Robben for the winning goal in the final. Bayern also won the Bundesliga and the German Cup, completing a historic "treble."
More Trophies and Records
In August 2013, Ribéry won the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. He also helped Bayern win the 2013 UEFA Super Cup for the first time. In December, he won the Golden Ball award as the best player at the FIFA Club World Cup, which Bayern won for the first time. In January 2014, he finished third in the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or awards.
Ribéry continued to win titles with Bayern, including more Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal trophies. He often struggled with injuries, but always came back to play important roles. In October 2014, he scored his 100th goal for Bayern. In December 2015, he made his 300th appearance for the club.
In May 2019, Bayern Munich announced that Ribéry would be leaving the club. He won his ninth Bundesliga title, becoming the player with the most Bundesliga titles at the time. He also won his sixth German Cup, making him the player with the most DFB-Pokal final appearances. Ribéry ended his amazing career at Bayern with a club record of 24 titles.
Later Career: Fiorentina and Salernitana
In August 2019, Ribéry joined Italian club Fiorentina. He made his debut in a league match against Napoli. He scored his first goal for Fiorentina in September.
On 6 September 2021, Ribéry signed with Salernitana. He became the team captain. He played 23 league games, but faced many injuries. Salernitana managed to stay in Serie A, which extended his contract. However, due to ongoing knee problems, Ribéry announced his retirement from football on 20 October 2022.
International Career with France
Before playing for the senior French team, Ribéry played for the France under-21 team. He scored two goals in 13 appearances for the U21 team.
Ribéry made his debut for the senior French national team in May 2006. His good performances earned him a spot in the squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played in all seven matches for France. On 27 June, he scored France's first goal in their 3–1 win over Spain in the Round of 16. France reached the final but lost to Italy on penalties.
After the World Cup, Ribéry was expected to become a key player for France. He scored important goals in qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was part of the French squad for the 2010 World Cup. France did not perform well in the tournament and was eliminated early. Ribéry later apologized to the fans for the team's performance. He received a three-match ban from international play for his part in a team incident during the World Cup.
Ribéry returned to the national team in March 2011. He apologized for his past behavior. He played in the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012 and was named to the squad. He scored several goals in friendly matches leading up to the tournament.
Ribéry was included in France's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but he missed the tournament due to injury. In August 2014, he announced his retirement from international football for personal reasons.
Playing Style and Personality
Ribéry mainly played as a winger. He was known for being fast, skillful, and a great dribbler. He preferred to play on the left wing, which allowed him to cut inside and either shoot or pass the ball. He was also good at providing assists to his teammates. During his time at Bayern Munich, he made 124 assists in the Bundesliga.
Ribéry was also known for his hard work and energetic style of play. Off the field, he was often seen as a "joker" and "prankster" by his teammates. He believed that humor was very important.
Ribéry did face many injuries throughout his career. These injuries sometimes kept him off the field for long periods. Despite this, he always worked hard to return and play for his teams.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player in October 2022, Ribéry decided to stay with Salernitana as a technical collaborator. This means he helps the head coach with training and strategy. In October 2023, Ribéry earned his UEFA B coaching licence.
Personal Life
Franck Ribéry has two younger brothers, François and Steeven, who also play football.
Ribéry is married to Wahiba, who is of Algerian descent. They have three daughters, Hiziya, Shahinez, and Keltoum Chérifa, and two sons, Seif el Islam and Mohammed. Ribéry converted to Islam and adopted the name Bilal Yusuf Mohammed.
Commercial Activities
Ribéry has been involved in many advertisements. He is sponsored by the sportswear company Nike and often wears their football boots. He appeared in Nike TV ads and even had his own TV show called The Franck Ribéry Show. He has also been featured in EA Sports' FIFA video games.
In 2010, a large billboard of Ribéry was put up in his hometown of Boulogne-sur-Mer, similar to one for Zinedine Zidane. He also appeared in a music video for the song "Même pas fatigué !!!" by Magic System and Khaled.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Boulogne | 2000–01 | CFA | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 1 | ||
| 2001–02 | Championnat National | 24 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 5 | |||
| Total | 28 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 6 | ||||
| Alès | 2002–03 | Championnat National | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| Brest | 2003–04 | Championnat National | 35 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 4 | ||
| Metz | 2004–05 | Ligue 1 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| Galatasaray | 2004–05 | Süper Lig | 14 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| Marseille | 2005–06 | Ligue 1 | 35 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 53 | 12 |
| 2006–07 | Ligue 1 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 37 | 6 | |
| Total | 60 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 90 | 18 | ||
| Bayern Munich | 2007–08 | Bundesliga | 28 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 46 | 19 |
| 2008–09 | Bundesliga | 25 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 4 | — | 36 | 14 | ||
| 2009–10 | Bundesliga | 19 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 | — | 30 | 7 | ||
| 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 25 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 11 | |
| 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 32 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 3 | — | 50 | 17 | ||
| 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 27 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 11 | |
| 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 22 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 16 | |
| 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 15 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 9 | |
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 | |
| 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 22 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 5 | |
| 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 20 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 6 | |
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 25 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 7 | |
| Total | 273 | 86 | 43 | 12 | 100 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 425 | 124 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2019–20 | Serie A | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 3 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 2 | |||
| Total | 50 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 51 | 5 | ||||
| Salernitana | 2021–22 | Serie A | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 523 | 114 | 55 | 14 | 116 | 24 | 21 | 9 | 715 | 161 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2006 | 15 | 1 |
| 2007 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 14 | 4 | |
| 2013 | 11 | 5 | |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 81 | 16 | |
- International Goals
France score listed first, score and result columns indicate score after each Ribéry goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 June 2006 | AWD-Arena, 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 |  England |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
| 4 | 3 June 2008 |  Colombia |
1–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 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 | |
| 7 | 1 April 2009 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 1–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 8 | 27 May 2012 | Stade du Hainaut, Valenciennes, France |  Iceland |
2–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 9 | 31 May 2012 | Stade Auguste Delaune, Reims, France |  Serbia |
1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 10 | 5 June 2012 | MMArena, Le Mans, France |  Estonia |
1–0 | 4–0 | |
| 11 | 11 September 2012 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France |  Belarus |
3–1 | 3–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 12 | 22 March 2013 |  Georgia |
3–0 | 3–1 | ||
| 13 | 10 September 2013 | Central Stadium, Gomel, Belarus | Belarus |
1–1 | 4–2 | |
| 14 | 2–2 | |||||
| 15 | 11 October 2013 | Parc des Princes, Paris, France |  Australia |
1–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 16 | 15 October 2013 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France |  Finland |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours and Awards
Galatasaray
- Turkish Cup: 2004–05
Marseille
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2005
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 2007–08, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
- DFB-Pokal: 2007–08, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2018–19
- DFB-Ligapokal: 2007
- DFL-Supercup: 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018
- UEFA Champions League: 2012–13
- UEFA Super Cup: 2013
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2013
France
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2006
Individual Awards
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: August 2004, October 2005, November 2005, April 2006
- UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year: 2006
- UNFP Ligue 1 Goal of the Year: 2006
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2006
- French Player of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2013
- Footballer of the Year in Germany: 2008
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2008, 2013
- UEFA Best Player in Europe Award: 2012–13
- UEFA Super Cup Man of the Match: 2013
- Bundesliga top assist provider: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13
- Bundesliga Player of the Year: 2012–13
- Globe Soccer Best Footballer of the Year: 2013
- FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2013
- FIFA FIFPRO World 11: 2013
- FIFA Ballon d'Or third place: 2013
- Serie A Player of the Month: September 2019
- Fiorentina Player of the Season: 2019–20
Images for kids
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Ribéry playing for Bayern in 2009
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Juan Mata (in blue) taking on Ribéry in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final
