eight years of love, disavowal and redemption in the French team

The “route”, famous neologism of the interested party, stopped turning. After 19 years of professional career, Franck Ribéry decided to end his career on Friday October 21. At 39, the French international with 81 caps announced that he could no longer continue to play due to persistent knee pain, which forced him not to continue his adventure with the Italian club Salernitana, which joined last season.

With this retirement, France football loses one of its most emblematic faces of the 21st century. Because if he has not always shown himself in his best light in Blue, Ribéry has always aroused emotions taken to the extreme during his eight years in the selection.

“!”
So many emotions shared in Blue @Franck Ribery
Congratulations for this immense career #ProudToBeBlues https://t.co/OyFM7LDK7x pic.twitter.com/H5lZWiLzkr

– French team (@equipedefrance) October 21, 2022

A start like a rocket. This is how we could summarize the debut of the native of Boulogne-sur-Mer in the France team. At the time, Ribéry shone in the Marseille jersey. After a great 2005-2006 season which earned him the title of best hope of Ligue 1, Raymond Domenech is betting on including him as a last-minute guest in his list for the World Cup in Germany.

Two weeks before the World Cup, Ribéry made his A debut against Mexico, replacing David Trézéguet. But the Northerner is fearless and even stands out by causing a penalty, then one against his camp during the preparation matches.

Result: in Germany, the 23-year-old prodigy starts on the right wing of the French attack, alongside Zinedine Zidane or Thierry Henry. Before the revelation. One evening of France-Spain, in the round of 16, and while the Iberians, who lead 1-0, think of sending Zizou to retirement, Ribéry sounds the revolt of the Tricolores with a high class action. Launched in depth by Patrick Vieira, the brilliant kid eliminates the great Iker Casillas and scores the first of his 16 international goals. Back on track, France won 3-1 and even went to the final.

But after a crazy German summer, the one who must take over from the 1998 Ballon d’Or never proves capable of assuming this role of taulier. At least not in blue. While blazing in Munich, Ribéry fails to prevent the boat France from catching the iceberg at Euro 2008 – leaving on a stretcher during the decisive match against Italy -, before accelerating the sinking of his own two years later.

Quoted in the Zahia affair a few months before the South African World Cup, the Boulonnais alienates some of the fans over alleged sex with an underage prostitute in 2009. Even though other internationals are involved, such as Karim Benzema, the Bayern player is singled out as the instigator of what will take him a indictment for “solicitation of underage prostitute” in July 2010 [la justice le blanchira en le relaxant début 2014]. Although he supports “unaware that she was a minor when they met”his image is tarnished.

The episode of Knysna then comes to record the break with French public opinion. A climate deleterious already reigned around the Blues before the World Cup, mBut things get carried away in South Africa when Nicolas Anelka is excluded from the France group for having probably insulted the coach.

In this calamitous context, Franck Ribéry decides to express himself in an improvised way, appearing in tap dancing on the Téléfoot set on the morning of June 20, 2010, to deny the tensions between Yoann Gourcuff and him.

His remarked speech was quickly criticized because the same afternoon, the players of the France team refused to get off the bus and boycotted training. All before forcing Raymond Domenech to read an open letter in front of cameras around the world. With this national humiliation, his assist for Florent Malouda against South Africaon what remains the only goal of the Blues in the competition, is quickly forgotten.

Recalled seven months after Knysna, Ribéry gradually regained his place as an executive in Laurent Blanc’s France team. But it was under Didier Deschamps that the Bavarian rebuilt his reputation in Blue. Author of six goals, but above all 12 assists including two during the victorious return barrage against Ukraine for the 2014 World Cup, the one Germany nicknamed “Kaiser Franck” takes the reins of the France team.

But “Francky” walks on affect and his failure to win the 2013 Ballon d’Or, after having helped Bayern achieve a historic Cup-Championship-Champions League treble, slows him down before Brazil. Too often injured, he finally misses the tournament, leaving his favorite number 7 to Antoine Griezmann. In August 2014, the 8th best passer in the history of the Blues finally announced his international retirement in the German media. Like a symbol.