Franck Ribéry

Ribéry began his football career at age six playing in the youth section of amateur club FC Conti de Boulogne-sur-Mer.[12][13] 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 behavioural problems, which led to Lille releasing him.[12][14] 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".[15]

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.[16] In his second season with the club, Ribéry appeared in 25 league matches converting five goals. Although 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.[17] In his only season at the club, Ribéry made 18 appearances scoring only one goal.[18]

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.[19] 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.[20] Ribéry's performance and the team as a whole led to the club finishing second in the league, thus earning promotion to Ligue 2.[13]

Despite his success with Brest, Ribéry sought to play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. His dream came to fruition when Metz's manager Jean Fernandez took a liking to him and recruited him on a free transfer.[13] 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.[21] His stellar play on the right side of midfield led to Metz supporters comparing him to Robert Pires, a former Metz player.[14] 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 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.[22][23][24][25] 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.

Ribéry with Marseille against Lille in October 2005

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.[26] 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.[27] 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.[26][28]

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.[29]

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.[30] On 17 September, he scored his first goal for the club in their 2–1 victory over Troyes.[31] Two weeks later, Ribéry netted goals in back-to-back matches in victories over his former club Metz and Nice.[32][33] On 19 November, Ribéry scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 win over Nantes.[34] The goal, scored from almost 35 metres (1,400 in) out, was later voted the goal of the season by supporters.[35]

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.

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.[36] 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.[37] Diouf later threatened to report Aulas to the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) for his actions.[38] He went as far as to accuse Ribéry's former agent, Bruno Heiderscheid, of badly advising the player.[39] Marseille continued to declare him off-limits with nearly four years remaining on Ribéry's contract.[40] On 11 August 2006, Ribéry confirmed his intention to remain with the club for the 2006–07 season.[41]

Ribéry confronting 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 victory.[42] On 11 November 2006, Ribéry suffered a serious groin injury in Marseille's 1–0 loss to Lille.[43] 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.[44] The following month, Ribéry suffered a fractured foot in a match against Toulouse.[45] 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.[46][47]

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 favourites 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.[48] The victory secured second 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 honour ended the four-year reign of Thierry Henry.[49]

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.[50] 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.[51] He made his team debut 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.[52] In the semifinals, he netted an early goal in a 2–0 win over defending champions VfB Stuttgart.[53] Due to an injury, Ribéry was unable to play in the final, which Bayern won.

Ribéry playing keepie uppie at a training session with Bayern Munich

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.[54] 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 VfL Bochum.[55] 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 VfL Wolfsburg.[56] In the German Cup, he recorded two goals and provided four assists in five matches Bayern 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.[57] In the semi-finals, Ribéry scored the opening goal in Bayern's 2–0 win over Wolfsburg, which resulted in the club qualifying for the final against Borussia Dortmund.[58] In the DFB-Pokal final, Ribéry assisted on Luca Toni's opener in the 11th minute in a match Bayern won 2–1, thus claiming their 14th cup title.[59]

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 quarter-finals. 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 Footballer of the Year (Germany).[60] He was also named French Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.[61]

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 1. FC Nürnberg, appearing as a substitute in the 65th minute.[62] 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 VfL Wolfsburg.[63] Following the match, Ribéry scored 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 providing assists on the other two in Bayern's 3–2 victory over Lyon in the Champions League. For his performances throughout 2008, Ribéry finished third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the Onze d'Or. He was shortlisted by the French magazine France Football for the 2008 Ballon d'Or award,[64] won by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ribéry's 2009 debut saw Bayern earn a 5–1 German Cup win over VfB Stuttgart, with the player scoring and also providing an assist.[65] On 24 February 2009, he scored a double in the club's 5–0 win over Sporting CP in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash.[66] 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.[67] 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.

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 Inter Milan had strong interest in the player, with many of the clubs willing to offer as much as €65 million for his services.[69][70][71][72] In order to quell the interest, Hoeneß declared that Ribéry would leave for nothing less than €100 million.[73]

Ribéry began the 2009–10 season struggling with tendonitis in his left knee, but was healthy enough to start the season scoring his first goal in a 5–1 victory against rivals Borussia Dortmund, converting a free kick.[74][75] The goal was notable in part due to Ribéry's celebration afterward; following his conversion, Ribéry ran across the field eluding several celebratory teammates and enthusiastically jumped into his manager Louis van Gaal's awaiting arms.[76] The mutual show of admiration ended speculation by the media of the two having a poor relationship.[77] 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.[78]

On 23 January 2010, Ribéry returned to the team, making an appearance as a substitute in the club's 3–2 league win over Werder Bremen.[79] Ribéry's first goal of the new year came on 10 February scoring in Bayern's 6–2 DFB-Pokal victory over SpVgg Greuther Fürth.[80] On 31 March, he scored the equalising goal in Bayern's 2–1 first leg win over English club Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals after converting a free kick, which deflected off of striker Wayne Rooney before going into the net.[81] In the club's ensuing match, Ribéry scored the opening goal in the team's 2–1 victory over Schalke 04.[82]

Ribéry playing for Bayern in 2009

On 20 April, Ribéry was sent off by referee Roberto Rosetti in the club's first leg Champions League semi-final against Lyon after being adjudged to have committed serious foul play on Lyon striker Lisandro López.[83] The expulsion resulted in Ribéry missing the second leg in Lyon, which Bayern won to advance to the UEFA Champions League final.[84] On 28 April, Ribéry was handed a three-match suspension by UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body for assault.[85] The suspension meant that Ribéry would miss the final. Following the ruling, Bayern Munich announced their intent to appeal the suspension.[86] On 5 May, the club's appeal was heard by the UEFA Appeals Body, which upheld Ribéry's ban meaning he would not only miss the final on 22 May, but also the next UEFA club competition fixture for which he is eligible.[87] Immediately after the ruling, however, Bayern responded by announcing their intention of appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.[88]

On 15 May, Ribéry scored the third goal in Bayern's 4–0 win over Werder Bremen in the 2009–10 edition of the DFB-Pokal final. Two days later, Ribéry's appeal was heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and was dismissed meaning he was officially ruled out of the UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan on 22 May.[89][90][91] Bayern Munich lost the match 2–0.[92] On 20 May, it was announced by German newspaper Bild that Ribéry had agreed to a new five-year contract with Bayern Munich and would sign the contract upon his arrival in Madrid to watch his teammates contest the Champions League final.[93] On 23 May, the day after the final, the club officially confirmed the agreement.[94] The new tied Ribéry to the club until 2015 and, though there is uncertainty regarding the annual salary, it has been speculated that the new deal pays him an annual salary of €10 million a year, the highest annual salary ever awarded to a player in the club's history.[95]

Ribéry began the 2010–11 season healthy for the first time since his debut season with the club. He was among the first World Cup players to arrive to pre-season training and made his season debut on 16 August 2010 in Bayern's 4–0 victory over Germania Windeck in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. In the match, Ribéry scored his first goal of the season.[96] Four days later, he assisted on the game-winning goal, scored by Bastian Schweinsteiger, in the team's opening league match against VfL Wolfsburg.[97] On 21 September, Ribéry was forced to leave the team's 2–1 win over 1899 Hoffenheim after suffering an ankle injury.[98] The injury was discovered to be serious and Ribéry was ruled out for four weeks.[99]

Despite the initial diagnosis, Ribéry missed two months and returned to the team on 14 November in a league match against 1. FC Nürnberg.[100] A week later, Ribéry was criticised by manager Louis van Gaal for his performance in a friendly match against SpVgg Unterhaching, which was organised to help Ribéry and other injured first-team players regain full fitness. Though Van Gaal was disappointed in several of his players' performances, he singled out Ribéry, stating, "he [Ribéry] didn't make any effort and showed no commitment."[101] Ribéry did, however, remain in contention to appear in the team's next league match against Bayer Leverkusen. He subsequently appeared in the match as a substitute in the 61st minute.[102] On 8 December, Ribéry scored a double in a 3–0 victory over Swiss club Basel in the Champions League.[103]

On 15 January, in Bayern's first league match following the winter break against Wolfsburg, Ribéry suffered a lower leg injury in the first half as a result of a tackle by Brazilian midfielder Josué.[104] Initial media reports described the injury as serious with Ribéry possibly having to undergo surgery to repair torn ligaments.[105][106] After further medical analysis, however, the injury was only reduced to a sprain and Ribéry subsequently missed two weeks.[107] He returned to the team on 5 February in a league match against 1. FC Köln.[108] On 12 February, Ribéry assisted on two goals in a 4–0 win over 1899 Hoffenheim.[109]

Following the team's 3–1 league win over Mainz 05 on 19 February, Ribéry embarked on a streak in which he charted a statistical output in Bayern's next five league matches. On 26 February, he assisted on the team's only goal in its 3–1 defeat against rivals Borussia Dortmund.[110] In the next match, against Hannover 96, he repeated his feat from the previous match assisted on an Arjen Robben goal in another defeat.[111] On 12 March, Ribéry had arguably his best performance of the season after scoring a goal and providing three assists in a 6–0 hammering of Hamburger SV.[112] In Bayern's following match against SC Freiburg, he assisted on the team's opening goal, scored by Mario Gómez, and then netted the game-winning goal two minutes from time in a 2–1 win.[113] Against Borussia Mönchengladbach on 2 April, Ribéry assisted on the only goal of the match, which was converted by Robben.[114] The streak ended in the team's 1–1 draw with 1. FC Nürnberg on 11 April.[115] Six days later, Ribéry scored the final goal in a 5–1 sweeping of Bayer Leverkusen.[116][117]

Prior to the start of the 2011–12 season, Ribéry suffered an ankle injury during a pre-season training session, which resulted in the player being carried from the training ground by members of the club's medical team.[118] Despite the player himself fearing he may have torn ligaments in the ankle, after an examination, club doctors revealed that the injury was not as serious as first thought, and Ribéry missed only one competitive match, a 3–0 DFB-Pokal away win over Eintracht Braunschweig on 1 August 2011.[119][120] Ribéry made his season debut a week later in Bayern's opening league match of the season, playing the entire match in a 1–0 loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach.[121] In the following week, he assisted on the game-winning goal, scored by Luiz Gustavo, in a win over VfL Wolfsburg.[122] Ribéry scored his first goal of the campaign in the team's next league match against Hamburger SV.[123] Bayern won the match 5–0. Following the international break, on 10 September, he scored a double and assisted on a goal in a 7–0 home victory over SC Freiburg.[124] A week later, Ribéry assisted on both team goals in a shutout win over Schalke 04.[125]

Juan Mata (in blue) taking on Ribéry in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final

Following the October international break, Ribéry manufactured another statistical output after scoring and assisting on two goals in a 4–0 win over Hertha BSC.[126] On 29 October, he scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 win over FC Augsburg.[127] In the UEFA Champions League, Ribéry scored his first goal in the competition on 22 November against Spanish club Villarreal in the group stage. He scored one goal in each half to give Bayern a 3–1 win, which allowed the club progression to the UEFA Champions League knockout phase.[128] On 3 December, Ribéry scored another set of goals in a 4–1 win against Werder Bremen. The league win re-inserted Bayern back into first-place position in the league after momentarily losing the spot in late November.[129] After failing to score a goal in two months, on 8 February 2012 Ribéry scored the game-winning goal in a 2–0 win over VfB Stuttgart in the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal.[130] The goal resulted in Ribéry scoring in every official competition Bayern Munich has participated in since he joined the club in 2007.

On 26 February, Ribéry scored two goals in a shutout win over Schalke 04.[131] Two weeks later, in a 7–1 thrashing of 1899 Hoffenheim, he scored another goal and assisted on goals scored by Toni Kroos, Arjen Robben and Mario Gómez.[132] In the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal, Ribéry scored the second goal in the team's 4–2 extra time win over Borussia Mönchengladbach. The win took Bayern Munich to its 18th German Cup final.[133] On 17 April, Ribéry scored Bayern's opening goal in its 2–1 first leg victory over Spanish club Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League.[134] Two days after the match, it was reported by German publication Sport Bild that Ribéry was involved in a dressing room fight during half-time of the Madrid match with Arjen Robben.[135] The report stated that "a clear-the-air meeting was held" and Ribéry was "said to have apologized and accepted a fine for his actions".[136] In the team's ensuing match against Werder Bremen, Ribéry appeared as a substitute and scored the game-winning goal in the 90th minute.[137] On 12 May 2012, Ribéry scored in the 2012 DFB-Pokal Final, as Bayern lost 5–2 against rivals Borussia Dortmund. In extra time of the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, he was subbed out after sustaining an injury from a tackle by Didier Drogba. Bayern eventually lost in a penalty shootout.[138]

Ribéry with Bayern in January 2013

Ribéry started the 2012–13 season by winning the 2012 DFL-Supercup against Borussia Dortmund on 12 August 2012. He scored two goals in a 2–0 victory over Hoffenheim on 6 October.[139] Ribery scored a late minute goal against BATE Borisov in the Champions League, but the match ended a 3–1 loss for Bayern.[140] On 20 October, Ribery provided hat-trick of assists in a 5–0 win over Fortuna Düsseldorf.[141] On 18 December, Ribéry was shown a straight red card after slapping Augsburg's midfielder Koo Ja-cheol during the DFB Pokal round of 16 match, but that did not stop his side from winning the match 2–0.[142] He was given two-match suspension in the Pokal causing him to miss the quarter-final match against Borussia Dortmund and the semi-final match against VFL Wolfsburg even though his side won both of the matches and made it through to the final.[143]

Ribéry also won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in an all-German final against Dortmund. He provided the assist to Arjen Robben who then scored the match-winning goal in the Champions League final.[144] He completed the continental treble with Bayern after also winning the 2012–13 Bundesliga and 2013 DFB-Pokal against VfB Stuttgart. Ribéry also had the most assists with 15 assists in the Bundesliga.[145]

On 10 August 2013, Ribéry provided one assist to his teammate Arjen Robben in their first Bundesliga game of the season as they won the game with a 3–1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach.[146] Ribéry scored his first header in a 2–0 victory over 1. FC Nürnberg on 24 August.[147] On 29 August, Ribéry won the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.[7] On 30 August, Ribéry scored a 47th-minute goal against Chelsea in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup as his side won the UEFA Super Cup title for the first time in their club's history after winning in the penalty shoot-out.[148]

On 21 December, Ribéry was awarded the Golden Ball for being the best player of the tournament after his side won the FIFA Club World Cup title for the first time in club's history by beating Raja Casablanca 2–0 victory in the final.[149][150] On 13 January 2014, he placed third in the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.[151] On 7 February, Ribéry suffered burst blood vessel in his buttock which kept him out of the pitch for two weeks.[152] On 25 March, he scored in a 3–1 win over Hertha BSC as Bayern were confirmed as Bundesliga champions.[153]

On 18 October 2014, Ribéry made his return after suffering from a knee injury as a substitute in the 61st minute in a 6–0 home victory over Werder Bremen.[154][155] Ribéry scored each goal in both the matches against A.S. Roma in the UEFA Champions League group stage, Bayern won 7–1 in the first match and 2–0 in the second match.[156][157] He made an impressive performance and scored a goal in his first start for the club since April 2014 in a 3–1 victory over Hamburger SV in the DFB-Pokal on 30 October.[158] Ribéry scored his 100th goal for Bayern and the only goal of the match in 1–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on 6 December.[159] The goal happened in his 287th competitive match for Bayern.[160] In January 2015, he suffered another injury which was muscle injury in training and missed only three matches against VfL Wolfsburg, Schalke 04 and VfB Stuttgart.[161] On 27 March, Ribéry then suffered an ankle injury in a 7–0 home victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League 2nd leg match of the Round of 16 tie and was sidelined for the remaining of the season.[162] He scored nine goals and provided seven assists in this season.[163]

On 2 December 2015, Ribéry trained with the first team for the first time since his injury in March 2015.[164] On 5 December, he made his first appearance since his ankle injury as a substitute coming in for Robert Lewandowski and also scored a goal after six minutes of his appearance, but that didn't stop Bayern from losing 3–1 to Borussia Mönchengladbach.[165] It was also his 300th competitive appearance for Bayern Munich.[166] He made his 200th Bundesliga appearance in a 1–0 win over 1. FC Köln on 19 March 2016.[167] On 2 April, Ribéry scored an amazing bicycle kick goal for Bayern Munich to beat Eintracht Frankfurt with a 1–0 victory.[168] He finished the season with two goals and three assists.[169]

Ribéry extended his contract with Bayern Munich by another year to June 2018, on 27 November 2016.[170] On 17 September, Ribéry was involved in all Bayern's goal as he provided three assists to Robert Lewandowski, Xabi Alonso and Rafinha's goals to beat FC Ingolstadt 04 with a 3–1 victory.[171] In the middle of the season, he suffered a thigh injury which kept him out from the pitch for almost four weeks.[172][173] He made his comeback in a 3–0 DFB-Pokal quarter-final victory over Schalke 04 on 2 March 2017.[173] Ribéry scored five goals and provided seventeen assists in this season.[174]

Ribéry started the season by winning the DFL-Supercup as Bayern defeated their arch-rival Borussia Dortmund 5–4 on penalties.[175] On 1 October 2017, he sustained a knee injury in a 2–2 draw to Hertha BSC.[176] On 2 December, Ribéry made his return to the pitch in a 3–1 victory over Hannover 96 and made a record for Bayern Munich's most Bundesliga appearances by a non-German with 235th appearance, overtaking former Bayern player and current sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić who had 234 appearances.[177] He made another record of most competitive appearances by any non-German player for Bayern with 366 appearances in a 1–0 victory over 1. FC Köln, surpassing Hasan Salihamidžić's 365 appearances.[178] Ribéry scored twice in a 6–0 home victory over Hamburger SV on 10 March 2018.[179] On 7 May 2018, Ribéry again extended his contract with Bayern, until June 2019.[180] He ended the season with six goals and five assists.[181]

Ribéry played his first competitive match of the season and won the DFL-Supercup as Bayern defeated Eintracht Frankfurt with a 5–0 victory.[182] On 1 September, Ribéry made his 250th Bundesliga appearance in a 3–0 victory over VfB Stuttgart.[183] On 27 November, Ribéry scored his first goal of the season in a 5–1 win against Benfica in the Champions League.[184]

On 5 May 2019, Bayern Munich announced that Ribéry would be leaving the club at the end of the season, with a testimonial match set for 2020.[185][186] On 18 May 2019, Ribéry won his ninth Bundesliga title with Bayern. With his ninth Bundesliga title, Ribéry became Bundesliga's all-time record champion.[187] On 25 May 2019, Ribéry won his sixth DFB-Pokal as Bayern defeated RB Leipzig 3–0 in the 2019 DFB-Pokal Final. Ribéry came on as a substitute in the 87th minute and made history as this was his eighth DFB-Pokal final appearance. No other player has played in as many DFB-Pokal finals.[188] Ribéry finished his career at Bayern with a club record 24 titles.[189]

In August 2019, Ribéry signed with Italian side Fiorentina on a free transfer.[190] He made his debut for the club on 24 August, coming on as a late substitute in a 4–3 home loss to Napoli in the opening game of the 2019–20 Serie A season.[191] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 away draw against Atalanta on 22 September.[192] In October 2019, he received a three-match ban after pushing a match official.[193]

Since establishing himself as an international, Ribéry has been involved in numerous promotional campaigns. He is sponsored by American sportswear company Nike and regularly wears Nike Mercurial Vapors. He appeared in several television advertisements for Nike and, during the 2007–08 Bundesliga season, starred in a one-off television show called The Franck Ribéry Show, which aired on Direct 8 in France.[255][256] The show, sponsored by Nike, acted as a variety show with Ribéry appearing in several sketches.[257] Ribéry features in EA Sports' FIFA video game series. For the 2008–09 season, he appeared on the French cover of FIFA 09 alongside international teammate Karim Benzema, and was the ninth-highest rated player in FIFA 15.[258][259]

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 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.[260] The construction of the billboard was initially suspended due to possible image ramifications associated with Ribéry's alleged relationship with an underage prostitute.[261]

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 2010 World Cup.[262] More recently, he was one of several international superstars featured in Nike's "The Last Game", a five-minute animated ad made during the run-up to the 2014 World Cup that went viral.[263]

He appeared in the music video for "Même pas fatigué !!!" by Magic System and Khaled.[264][265] The single released in 2009 stayed seven weeks at number one in SNEP French Singles Chart.[266]

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 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".[267] Later that day, the players were discovered to be Ribéry and Sidney Govou.[268] During his interview with Dando, Ribéry reportedly admitted to having had a relationship with a prostitute, but did not know that she was a minor at the time the relationship began.[269]

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.[270] 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 World Cup.[271] 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".[272][273][274] 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.[275]

As of match played 29 January 2021

• 1.^ Includes the French League Cup, German League Cup, German Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.

Correct as of 15 October 2013.[290]