Franck Ribery retires from football at 39

Former France and Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has announced his retirement from football at the age of 39. The veteran most recently played for Salernitana in Serie A, but hasn’t made an appearance since the team’s opening day defeat to Roma. 

“The ball stops, the feelings do not. Thanks to everyone for this great adventure,” Ribery wrote on Twitter. 

Franck Ribery announces retirement from football 

The veteran joined Salernitana last summer, and helped them avoid relegation by one point last season. He was struggling with a knee injury prior to announcing his retirement officially. And he is now expected to move into a role off the pitch such as management or coaching. 

In all likelihood, he could continue at Salernitana as part of the backroom staff or the upper management. However, nothing of the sort has been announced as of yet. 

Ribery has been named the French player of the year thrice, having earned 81 caps for his country. He scored 16 goals and provided 25 assists, and retired from the national team in 2014 after missing the World Cup through a back injury.

Franck Ribery is most fondly remembered for his time with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. The winger scored 124 goals and contributed 182 assists in 425 games for Bayern from 2007-2019. Over the 12 years, he won nine Bundesliga titles and the 2013 Champions League.