Legend Frank Ribery (42) revealed the horrifying story of how he almost retired due to disability.
During his active years as a member of the French national team, Ribery was a winger who dominated an era with his incredibly fast pace and precise scoring ability. He enjoyed his prime at Bayern Munich from 2007 to 2019. In particular, Ribery, alongside Arjen Robben (41), played as one of the world's strongest wings and lifted numerous championship trophies together.
Ribery won the Bundesliga championship 9 times, played 81 matches for the French national team, and retired last year from Salernitana in Italy.
In his final season, Ribery played through a knee injury. It became a significant problem. He nearly had to amputate his leg and could have retired due to disability.
In an interview with 'L'Equipe,' Ribery reflected, "My knee hurt more and more in the final season. I had surgery after the season ended. But five months later, I contracted a complication where bacteria ate away at my flesh. The doctor said I might need to amputate my leg."
Despite lifting numerous championship trophies, Ribery's failure to win the Ballon d'Or in 2013 is a lasting regret. At that time, Ribery led Munich to a treble. After providing a crucial assist in the Champions League final, he became the UEFA Player of the Year.
However, Ribery lost in the Ballon d'Or voting to Cristiano Ronaldo. The extension of the voting period by two weeks due to a shortage of voters worked against Ribery.
Ribery said, "I received every award except the Ballon d'Or that year. But I came in third in the voting, behind Ronaldo and Messi. It was a year when I couldn't have performed better. I was leading in the voting, and I cannot understand why the voting was postponed for two weeks," expressing his regret.
Since retiring, Ribery has been involved in football-related activities, such as participating in charity football matches as a legendary star. This is an activity that would have been impossible had he retired due to disability.
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