Ribery Recalls Ballon d

By Joshua Walters

Departed Bayern Munich forward, Franck Ribery has once again reflected on his disappointment in 2013, a year he lost the Ballon d’Or award to Cristiano Ronaldo.

The former French midfielder lost the award to Ronaldo despite having a brilliant season with Bayern Munich.

Ribery impressed as Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga, DFK Pokal and the Champions League in the 2012/13 season under Jupp Heynckes.

After winning the UEFA Player of the Year accolade, Ribery was tipped as the favourite for the Ballon d’Or award but was beaten to the honour by Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 66 goals in 56 games that season.

And Ribery in an interview with French newspaper L'Equipe stressed that was the biggest injustice in his career.

"I saw myself as the Ballon d'Or. It's the truth. Even today, I think I deserved it. I still haven't digested it. I did everything to have it.

"I ticked all the boxes. I won all I could win with Bayern. I couldn't do better! I did a very, very, very big personal year.

"I asked the question 10,000 times: why not me? The more I thought, the more I was disgusted. All was not clear.

"More than a disappointment. It's the biggest injustice of my career. Not only for me, for many people."

Ribery, who joined Bayern Munich from French Ligue 1 side Olympic Marseille in 2007 brought his twelve-year spell with the German giants to an end after the 2018/19 season as he recorded six goals in twenty-five league games with his seven Champions League appearances yielding a goal.

The 36-year-old winger has hinted that he will like to play two more seasons before he retires as he has been linked with a shocking move to newly promoted Sheffield United in the English Premier League.

“I want to play two more seasons. I could have money anywhere. But there’s also the challenge.

“I’m still hungry. And I think that I still have something to give. As long as I feel that I have a high level in my legs and in my head, I’ll try to find it. I’ll never lie.”