Franck Ribery, a former winger for France and Bayern Munich, has announced his retirement from the game.
After having a knee injury, the 39-year-old has ended his contract with Serie A team Salernitana.
In 425 games for Bayern from 2007 to 2019, he scored 124 goals and provided 182 assists, winning the Champions League in 2013 as well as nine Bundesliga titles.
“The ball stops, the feelings do not. Thanks to everyone for this great adventure,” Ribery wrote on Twitter.
Ribery began his career with Fiorentina before switching to Salernitana last summer. He helped the team avoid relegation by one point, but he hasn’t played since the opening-day loss to Roma. For some weeks, there had been rumors that he might retire.
The Frenchman left Marseille for Bayern in June 2007 for £17 million, a year after being a member of the France team that lost to Italy in the World Cup semifinals.
He won the French Player of the Year award three times and played 81 times for his nation, scoring 16 goals and providing 25 assists. He announced his retirement from international competition in 2014 after missing the World Cup due to a back injury.
He departed Munich with Dutch winger Arjen Robben after 12 productive years there as Bayern won the German championship for a seventh straight year.
The ball stops. The feelings inside me do not. ✨
Der Ball ruht. Die Gefühle in mir nicht. ✨
Le ballon s’arrette mais pas mes sentiments pour lui. ✨
Il pallone si ferma. Le emozioni dentro di me, no. ✨Thanks to everyone for this great adventure. 🙏🏼#FR7 #Elhamdoulillah pic.twitter.com/Ku4i1MeEbE
— Franck Ribéry (@FranckRibery) October 21, 2022