Former Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has announced his retirement from football at the age of 39.
The Frenchman has made the decision to hang up his boots after an injury-ravaging 12 months with Serie A side Salernitana. Ribery joined the club last September but only made 17 starts in the league as he suffered with fitness issues.
The veteran took to Twitter to share the news, writing: “The ball stops. The feelings inside me do not.
“Thanks to everyone for this great adventure.
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Ribery is best known for his stellar 12 years in Germany where he won the Bundesliga nine times during his time with German giants Bayern.
He also won the Champions League with the Bavarians in 2013 when they beat their domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the final which was held at Wembley Stadium.
During his 12 years with the Bundesliga outfit, he made 425 appearances for the club, scoring 124 goals.
Ribery represented eight clubs across his lengthy 22-year career, after making his breakthrough at French club US Boulogne as a teenager.
He then went on to feature 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 attention, which led to Bayern signing him in 2007.
It was at Bayern that Ribery was at his very best. He finished third in the Ballon d'Or vote in 2013 behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo - something he labelled as an “injustice."
He had an outstanding year on the pitch in 2013, scoring 22 goals and grabbing 18 assists, but it was not enough to topple the duopoly of Messi and Ronaldo.
When Ribery was released by Bayern in 2019, he moved to Fiorentina and then Salernitana before calling time on what has been an exceptional playing career.
The wide man 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.
Across his career, he won 24 pieces of silverware.
