Ribery: an unfinished story with Les Bleus

Date: 9th June 2014 at 12:51pm
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Franck Ribery FranceFranck Ribery finally turned the page on his World Cup soap opera. The French media had camped around Clairefontaine in the last 10 days trying to discern the Bayern Munich star’s health, scrutinizing every one of Didier Deschamps’ grimaces during press conferences in the hopes of discovering an elaborate bluff from the France coach.

The news finally came on Friday that Ribery would not go to Brazil. The Frenchman has been suffering from persistent lower back pain, leading him to miss France’s first two friendly games and failing to participate to any of the team’s training sessions. The medical staff and Didier Deschamps then had no option but to rule him out of the World Cup.

With the Brazil chapter now closed, Ribery now focuses on the final epilogue of his Les Bleus career. However, there is a great risk that football might only remember Ribery’s Les Bleus adventure as an unfinished story.

Franck Ribery GalatasarayWhen Ribery began his career, he was almost just as soon lost to French football. Behavioral problems and poor scholastic results at the Lille youth academy saw him kicked out, leaving him to vagabond through the lower leagues of French football. He slowly made his way up the ladder until he finally reached Ligue 1 with Metz. Unsuccessful negotiations for a contract renewal led to him moving to Turkey with Galatasaray.

His exile only lasted until Jose Anigo, Marseille’s sporting director, caught wind of “FerraRibery’s” impressive displays and repatriated him to France. This was the beginning of a successful club career, marking the prologue of his story with Les Bleus.

Ahead of the 2006 World Cup, Raymond Domenech made a surprise call for Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year. The fresh-faced 23-year-old lit up the tournament, with an especially impressive display in France’s Round of 16 win against Spain when his goal augured great things to come for his future story with Les Bleus.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/e4gMBwH-7Hs?t=29s[/youtube]

However, nothing came of it. Despite his successful move to Bayern Munich in 2007, he could never replicate that form for Les Bleus.

EURO 2008 came to nothing, France exiting at the group stages having failed to record a single point. The World Cup 2010 in South Africa was even worse, with Ribery emerging as one of the alleged leaders of Les Bleus’ training boycott in Knysna.

“The Bus of Shame” scandal hurt the entire France team, but seemed to impact Ribery even more. Ribery withdrew himself, fleeing judging French eyes and focusing on Bayern, where he was loved unconditionally.

Germany was Ribery’s new home. He had adopted the language, was adulated, praised, and even earned the moniker “Kaiser Frank.” In Bavaria, Les Bleus’ Ribery did not exist.

Franck Ribery BayernHaving become a social pariah vis-à-vis his own people, Ribery sought redemption on the pitch.

The Bayern Munich ace almost grasped that salvation in 2013, when he finished third in the Ballon d’Or nominations. It seemed an injustice, having won the treble with Bayern and been named UEFA Best Player in Europe. And for the first time in those weeks leading up to the Ballon d’Or ceremony, Ribery had the support of the French.

This is why Brazil 2014 was such an important objective. Ribery struggled for fitness through his back pain, which in the end almost seemed more psychosomatic than physical. Did the pressure of redemption prove too big a burden for him to carry? We might never know.

However it does reveal a couple of things about Ribery’s character: determination and self-awareness of his bad image. In spite of being recognized as Les Bleus’ key player ahead of the World Cup, a recent poll in magazine France Foot revealed that 54% of French fans still did not like Ribery.

At 31 years old, it is questionable if Ribery will take part of EURO 2016. Brazil was definitely his last World Cup. With the probable end of his international career, marked by the indelible stain of Knysna, Ribery’s unfinished story of redemption with Les Bleus will most likely forever leave him scarred.

Follow Ogo Sylla on Twitter at: @RossonerOgo_3

 

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