The former French winger Franck Ribery revealed that he was about to rely on the leg at the end of his career due to a post-surgical infection and admitted that he had won the 2013 Golden Ball “a persistent injustice”.
Ribery, who spent 12 of his 22 years of career in Bayern Munich, retired from professional football in 2022 after being capped 81 times for the Blues.
The attacker, known for his rhythm and his cunning on the field, appreciated a sparkling spell for the German giants, winning 23 trophies, including nine titles from Bundesliga and the Champions League in 2013.
His career also included spells in Marseille and Fiorentina and he was part of the French team which finished finalists at the 2006 World Cup, losing against Italy in penalties in the final.
Pure nostalgia. 🥹#FCBayern #Miasanmia pic.twitter.com/omcezmz2q7
– FC Bayern München (@FcBayern) March 22, 2025
But the end of Ribery’s career was obstinate by an injury and, speaking to the French team, the 41 -year -old revealed that he had almost lost his leg after suffering from a flesh -eating infection which required surgery.
“My knee was making me more and more,” said Ribery. “I no longer trained between the matches but rather the recovery to protect myself.
“I went under the knife in Austria. The operation went well, with a plate inserted inside. But I had a bad infection almost five months later.
“They removed the plate, but the infection had gnawed at me. It was so bad that I had holes in my leg. I had contracted Staphylococcus aureus.
“I was in the emergency room of the hospital in Austria for 12 days. I was really afraid. They could have cut my leg. ”
Despite great success in Germany, Ribery admitted that he was still disturbed by losing against Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2013 Golden Ball.
The Frenchman was a key figure in the award-winning Bayern campaign that year when the price for the price was controversial for two weeks due to an apparent lack of eligible voters.
Ribery, who finally finished third behind Lionel Messi, said: “I had everything but that price that year.
“It was the ideal year; I couldn’t have been better.
“I am always looking for an explanation, although some have offered their catch. I will never understand why the vote was delayed by more than two weeks, while I was running among the journalists. If the vote had occurred as it was, I would have won. ”
