Former France-wing player Franck Ribery has revealed that he was amputated almost at the end of his career due to an infection after the operation and admitted that he did not win the 2013 balloon “a persistent injustice”.
Ribery, who spent 12 of his 22-year-old career in Bayern Munich, withdrew from professional football in 2022 and was tucked up for Les Blues 81 times.
The attacker, known for his pace and deception on the field, enjoyed a shimmering spell at the German Giants and won 23 trophies, including nine Bundesliga titles and the Champions League in 2013.
His career also included spells in Marseille and Fiorentina and he was part of the France team that ended in second at the 2006 World Cup and lost to Italy in the final.
Pure nostalgia. 🥹#Fcbayern #Masanmia pic.twitter.com/omcezmz2q7
– FC Bayern Munich (@fcbayern) March 22, 2025
But the end of Ribery’s career was chased by an injury and, speaking with the French outlet l’Equipe, the 41-year-old revealed that he almost lost his leg after suffering from a carnivorous infection that required surgery.
“My knee hurts more and more,” said Ribery. “I was no longer training between competitions, but rather recovered to protect myself.
“I went under the knife in Austria. The operation went well with a sign. But almost five months later I had a bad infection.
“They removed the plate, but the infection had eaten me. It was so bad that I had holes in my leg. I had stahylococcus aureus.
“I was in first aid in the first aid in the hospital in Austria. I was really scared. They could have cut my leg.”
Despite achieving great success in Germany, Ribery admitted that he is still suffering from losing Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2013 balloon d’Or.
The Frenchman was a key figure in Bayern’s Treble-winning campaign that year, when the voting period for the price was extensively extended by two weeks due to a clear lack of eligible voters.
Ribery, who finally finished third behind Lionel Messi, said: “I had anything but that price that year.
“It was the perfect year; I could not have performed better. That Ballon d’Or will always be a persistent injustice.
“I am still looking for a statement, although some have offered their duties. I will never understand why the mood was postponed for more than two weeks when I led among journalists. If the vote had taken place as it should, I would have won.”
