With, among other things, nine German championships and the Champions League title in 2013, Franck Ribéry became an absolute club legend at FC Bayern. As the Frenchman has now revealed, he could have joined several top European clubs over the years.
In an interview with the Italian sports newspaper “tuttosport“, the now 39-year-old listed where he could have gone anywhere. “Mourinho wanted to get me to Real Madrid, but Bayern wouldn’t let me go. Barcelona and Juventus also called me,” Ribéry told the newspaper.
Three years after leaving Bayern in the summer of 2019, the Munich club icon is still active on the ball and is currently still under contract with the Italian first division club US Salernitana. Despite several injury breaks, the winger has made 19 league appearances. But he is still waiting for a first goal of the season for the club threatened with relegation.
US Salernitana are currently in last place in Serie A and can only theoretically avoid relegation.
Franck Ribéry makes it clear: “I have no regrets, I’m proud”
Incidentally, for Ribéry in his best years in the FC Bayern jersey in the 2010s, it was never up for debate to leave the club for the Spanish La Liga or Italian Serie A.
“I don’t regret anything, I’m proud to have been with a huge club like Bayern for twelve years. I won everything there and was able to write important chapters in the history of the club,” said Ribéry, who has had a special relationship with the former Bayern for many years Manager and President Uli Hoeneß maintains.
In total, Franck Ribéry made 273 appearances for FC Bayern in the Bundesliga, scoring 86 goals.