Franck Ribery has retired from playing football due to a knee injury.
The former Bayern Munich and Marseille winger has not played for Salernitana this season since a substitute appearance in the opening-day defeat by Roma back in August.
And, after a 19-year playing career in which he made 715 club appearances, Ribery, 39, confirmed his retirement in a social media post on Friday.
Advertisement
“Dear friends, dear fans,” he wrote. “I wanted to make this short video to tell you that the time has come for me to retire from playing football.
“With you and your support, I was able to make my dream become a reality, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
“The fact I was able to play at a high level for almost 20 years and to have this career is also because, even at difficult times, you were always there. You have given me the strength to live this incredible adventure.
“But today, despite the effort I have made in the last three months, the pain in my knee has only worsened and the doctors are clear, I have no choice but to stop playing.”
Ribery began his career in France with Boulogne, with spells at Ales, Brest, Metz and Galatasaray preceding a move to Marseille in 2005.
He spent two seasons with Marseille, before joining Bayern in 2007. Ribery was an instant success in Bavaria, scoring 19 goals in all competitions during his first season.
The former France international enjoyed an incredibly successful spell at Bayern, winning 17 major honours in 12 seasons, before leaving for Fiorentina in 2019.
Ribery played 51 matches in two years in Florence, then signing for newly-promoted Serie A side Salernitana in the summer of 2021. He managed 23 appearances last season, before sustaining the knee problem that would end his career early this campaign.
Ribery has hinted that he will continue in football, saying: “This is the end of a chapter, my chapter as a player, but not the end of my professional story, you can be sure of that.
“So I will see you soon for the beginning of a new beautiful chapter.”
Ribery also made 81 appearances for France after making his debut in 2006 and scored 14 goals before retiring in 2014.
