Ex-Bayern star reveals
“The infection had eaten me”
03/22/2025 – 6:14 p.m.Reading time: 1 min.
Franck Ribéry ended his successful career in October 2022. However, the step was not entirely voluntary, as he now revealed.
After an operation on the knee, Franck Ribéry’s suffering seemed to be over 2022 – but then there were unexpected complications. The former Bayern professional suffered a serious infection that almost cost it. “I was very afraid. They almost amputated my leg,” he revealed in an interview with the French “L’Equipe”.
Complaints preceded in his leg: “My knee hurted more and more. I no longer trained between the games, but recovered to protect myself,” said the 41-year-old. He lost his rhythm during the breaks. “Then the investigations showed that I no longer had a cartilage.” An operation followed in Austria that went well. To do this, he got a plate.
Then it became dramatic. Ribéry had caught an infection five months after the operation. “I took tablets for two months. The covering was removed. The infection had eaten me,” he explained and said: “It was so bad that my whole leg had holes.” Ribéry suffered an infection of the bacterium staphylococcus aureus and was in the hospital for twelve days.
Ultimately, Ribéry was able to breathe a sigh of relief: healed the infection. In October 2022, Ribéry ended his career at the Italian club Us Salernitana. Recently, FC Bayern’s former crowd favorite returned to the square at the Franz Beckenbauer Cup.