Former Bayern Munich and France winger, Franck Ribery has announced his retirement from professional football after an injury-hit 12 months at Serie A side Salernitana.
Ribery joined Salernitana last September but was only able to start 17 league games in 2021-22 due to fitness issues, and he has been limited to a single appearance in top flight this term.
The 39-year-old has now called time on his career, confirming the news with a statement on Twitter on Friday.
‘The ball stops. The feelings inside me do not,’ he wrote.
‘Thanks to everyone for this great adventure.’
Ribery is best known for his time in Germany where he won the Bundesliga on nine occasions during his time at Bayern.
He also won the Champions League with the German giants in 2013 when they beat domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund in the final.
Overall, he made 425 appearances for the club, scoring 124 goals between 2007 and 2019.
Ribery represented eight clubs in his career, after making his breakthrough at French club US Boulogne as a teenager.
He then went on to play for Stade Brest and Metz before a brief spell in Turkey with Galatasaray.
A move back to France followed as he joined Marseille, and it was there that his performances caught the eye and led to Bayern signing him in 2007.
He would go on to star at Bayern, finishing third in the Ballon d’Or vote in 2013 behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
When he was released by the club in 2019, he moved to Fiorentina and then Salernitana before finally calling time on his playing days.
Ribery also earned 81 caps for France and played for his country at four major tournaments.
He was part of the squad that made the final of the 2006 World Cup, when France were beaten on penalties by Italy.
Honors:
x1 Champions League, x1 UEFA Super Cup, x1 Clubs World Cup, x9 Bundesliga, x6 DFB Pokal, x5 DFL SuperCup, x1 DFL Ligapokal, x1 Turkish Cup, x2 UEFA Team of the Year, WC Finalist 2006
