Franck Ribéry
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Franck Bilal Ribéry | ||
Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | ||
Position(s) | Winger/Attacking midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Bayern Munich | ||
Number | 7 | ||
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 13, 2008 |
Franck Bilal Ribéry (born April 1, 1983 in Boulogne-sur-Mer) is a French football midfielder who plays for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich.
Club career
After spending the first four years of his career in his home country with four different clubs, Ribéry relocated to Turkey in January 2005, signing a three-and-a-half year contract with Galatasaray S.K., with whom he won the 2005 Fortis Turkey Cup by scoring one goal and assisting another in a 5-1 win in the final against league rivals Fenerbahçe SK.
On April 25, 2007, an appeal by Galatasaray against Ribéry's move to Olympique de Marseille was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS), who ruled 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. Ribéry had opted out of his deal in May 2005 in order to return to France after having gone over four months without wages. Galatasaray had sought €10 million in compensation from Marseille, and appealed to CAS after FIFA ruled in Ribéry's favor in July 2005.[1]
Ribéry has made 68 appearances in all competitions and scored fourteen goals as Marseille finished runner-up to Olympique Lyonnais in the 2006–07 Ligue 1 title race.
On June 7, 2007, Bayern Munich signed Ribéry to a four-year deal for a club-record €25 million.[2] Ribéry was given the number 7 shirt, which was freed up due to the retirement of club legend Mehmet Scholl at the end of the previous season.[3] He made his team debut one month later, scoring twice in an 18-0 friendly drubbing of Munich youth side FT Gern.
He made his competitive debut for Bayern on July 21, 2007 against Werder Bremen in the first round of the Premiere Ligapokal, scoring twice. He also netted an early goal in Bayern's 2-0 victory over defending champions VfB Stuttgart in the semifinals, but was unable to play in the final (won by Bayern) due to injury.
International career
Ribéry earned his first cap with France in a 1-0 victory over Mexico on May 27, 2006; he started the match but was substituted by David Trezeguet in the 74th minute.[4] He was part of France's roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where he scored one goal. He played in the final where France lost to Italy, and his only shot on goal came in extra time.[5] He scored the only goal in France's 1-0 win over England on March 26, 2008. Since the Euro 2008 warm up matches, Ribéry has been France's first-choice penalty taker.
On the 17th June 2008, during a Euro 2008 match against Italy, Ribery suffered an injury after 8 minutes. According to ZDF of Germany (who cite a Swiss doctor) the Crus in the left leg has been broken.
Personal life
When Ribéry was two years old, he and his family were involved in a serious automobile accident in Boulogne-sur-Mer, in which his face got trapped within the door, leaving two long scars down the right side of his face.[6]
Ribéry has been seen at the beginning of every match, raising his hands to the sky, in a move that resembles prayers in Islam, which led fans and spectators to believe that he was a Muslim convert. This move was accepted by fans during his stay at Olympique de Marseille and Galatasaray S.K.. Ribéry confirmed his conversion, and that he identifies as a devout Muslim through several interviews with French magazines, [7] and even assumed the very Islamic name of Bilal, in reference to Bilal ibn Ribah [8]; they have two daughters, Hizya and Shakinez.[9][10]
Honours
- Fortis Turkey Cup: 2004-05
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2005
- DFB-Ligapokal: 2007
- German Cup: 2008
- Bundesliga: 2008
National Team
- World Cup runner-up: 2006
Personal Honours
References
- ^ "Galatasaray Ribery claim rejected by court". ESPN. 2007-04-25. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
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(help) - ^ Sky Sports (2006-06-07). "German giants recruit Ribéry". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2006-06-07.
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(help) - ^ "FCB unveil star signings Ribéry and Toni". FCBayern.com. 2006-06-07. Retrieved 2006-06-07.
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(help) - ^ "Ribéry stats and timeline at footballdatabase.com". Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ "Match Report: Brazil - France". FIFAWorldcup.com. 2006-07-01. Retrieved 2006-07-12.
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(help) - ^ "Ribery: Lucky to be alive". The Sun. 2006-07-01. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
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(help) - ^ "Ribery's Islam "Noticed" in French WC Opener". Islam Online.
- ^ http://www.franckribery.org/
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(help) - ^ "Van Buyten back, new dad Ribéry in France". fcbayern.de. 2008-01-10. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
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(help) - ^ "Convert to Islam changes French mindset: Rebel Ribéry strides from sink estate to brink of greatness". Independent. 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
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External links
- 1983 births
- Living people
- 2006 FIFA World Cup players
- Bayern Munich players
- FC Metz players
- First Bundesliga footballers
- French footballers
- France international footballers
- French expatriate footballers
- French expatriates in Germany
- Football (soccer) wingers
- Galatasaray players
- Ligue 1 players
- Ligue 2 players
- Olympique Alès players
- Olympique de Marseille players
- People from Nord-Pas-de-Calais
- Stade Brestois players
- US Boulogne players
- Converts to Islam
- French Muslims