Ribery tempted to leave Bayern Munich

Joe Wright

Ribery tempted to leave Bayern Munich image

Franck Ribery would like to retire at Bayern Munich but admits he is still tempted to move away from the Bundesliga champions before the end of his career.

The 34-year-old has enjoyed spectacular success since signing from Marseille in 2007, winning seven Bundesliga titles, five DFB-Pokals, the Champions League and the Club World Cup among a host of honours.

Bayern 13/2 to win CL

Ribery has struggled with injury over the last couple of seasons but has started 2017-18 in strong form, helping Bayern to claim the DFL-Supercup on penalties against Borussia Dortmund before a DFB-Pokal triumph at Chemnitzer and Bundesliga wins over Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen.

The winger says he would happily finish his career at the Allianz Arena but cannot shake the idea of trying his luck abroad after a decade in Germany.

"I want to win the Champions League once again. That is my dream. That is my adrenaline, my motivation," he told Bild.

When asked if another European triumph would see him call time on his career, he replied: "I can't say if that's my last season. I am fit and healthy. I can play two, three more years. I love football. I don't want to sit at home, I want to play.

"I would love to retire at Bayern. I would love to stay here until the end of my career, but a move abroad is also in the back of my head."

Ribery insists he has a good understanding with head coach Carlo Ancelotti when it comes to managing his game time.

"I always want to play. I am always hungry, I always want to win. But I know by now that I sometimes need a break. I can understand being benched after three or four games," he said.

"We have a good relationship. We are straightforward. If we have to talk, we talk. Calm, normal. If he wants to tell me that he wants to bench me the next day, he approaches me."

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.