The legend of Bayern Munich and the French national team celebrates his 41st birthday today

Today, on April 7th, the legendary player most renowned for his performances with Bayern Munich and the French national team, Franck Ribéry, celebrates his birthday.

Ribéry's journey in the world of football began in the amateur club Conti Boulogne. Afterward, he moved to Lille but soon departed. Seventeen years later, Ribéry revealed that he was expelled from the club after injuring another player's elbow, with the club officials previously contemplating his expulsion from the academy due to him being deemed “too small.”

Returning to his old sporting school, he began playing for the main team, which competed in the third division of France. He then switched clubs to Olympic Ales, which played in the same league, and later to Brest.

The first major club for the Frenchman was Metz, but after a year, he moved to Turkey, where he played for Galatasaray. However, he swiftly returned to his homeland and began playing for Marseille. It was there that representatives of many European football giants noticed him. Among Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich, he chose the German club and transferred there for €25 million.

Ribéry's golden career began at Bayern, where he won nine league titles, six cups, and five super cups in twelve years, triumphing in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. Alongside Ribéry, Bayern achieved a treble.

Ribéry still holds numerous records in Germany. He is the most decorated foreign footballer in the history of the country's championship, the Bundesliga's top assist provider, and a key player for both the German Cup and Bayern Munich. He has played the most matches for the Munich club among foreign players in the league and the German Cup.

In 2019, upon the expiration of his contract, he moved to Fiorentina, where he played for two years before changing clubs to Salernitana. Spending just over a year with the latter, he announced his retirement:

"Last week, I was contemplating retirement, but I didn't feel completely ready for it. Three months ago, I felt good. It was an excellent preseason, but then I started feeling pain in my knee. During the Serie A match against Roma, I played through the pain. I am not fragile, but for the next two days, I couldn't move. The doctors said the situation was very serious. I tried to recover, couldn't believe it would force me to leave. I wanted to decide for myself when it would all end."

Subsequently, he agreed to stay at the club, joining the coaching staff of head coach Davide Nicola.

In the French national team, Ribéry failed to win trophies, with his greatest achievement being the 2006 FIFA World Cup final.

In total, Ribéry has played 716 club-level matches, scoring 160 goals, as well as 81 matches for the French national team, in which he found the net sixteen times.

The Frenchman's appearance is quite recognizable worldwide, all due to two long scars on the right side of his face. This scar appeared when Ribéry was two years old, and his family was involved in a serious car accident. Frank hit his face against the windshield.

Ribéry has been offered plastic surgery multiple times to remove all scars, but he has always refused, saying they make him stronger.