Ex-Bayern winger Ribery reveals leg was nearly amputated and calls 2013 Ballon d’Or an ‘injustice’

Former France winger Franck Ribery has revealed he was close to having his leg amputated at the end of his career due to a post-surgery infection and admitted not winning the 2013 Ballon d’Or remains “a lingering injustice”.

Ribery, who spent 12 of his 22-year career at Bayern Munich, retired from professional football in 2022 having been capped 81 times for Les Blues.

The forward, known for his pace and trickery on the pitch, enjoyed a glittering spell at the German giants, winning 23 trophies including nine Bundesliga titles and the Champions League in 2013.

His career also included spells at Marseille and Fiorentina and he was part of the France squad that finished runners-up at the 2006 World Cup, losing to Italy on penalties in the final.

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But the tail end of Ribery’s career was dogged by injury and, speaking to French outlet L’Equipe, the 41-year-old revealed he almost lost his leg after suffering from a flesh-eating infection that required surgery.

“My knee hurt more and more,” Ribery said. “I was no longer training between matches but rather recovering to protect myself.

“I went under the knife in Austria. The operation went well, with a plate inserted inside. But I had a bad infection almost five months later.

“They removed the plate, but the infection had eaten away at me. It was so bad that I had holes in my leg. I had contracted Staphylococcus aureus.

“I was in the emergency room at the hospital in Austria for 12 days. I was really scared. They could have cut off my leg.”

Despite achieving great success in Germany, Ribery admitted that he is still troubled by losing out to Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2013 Ballon d’Or.

The Frenchman was a key figure in Bayern’s treble-winning campaign that year, when the voting period for the award was controversially extended for two weeks due to an apparent lack of eligible voters.

Ribery, who ultimately finished third behind Lionel Messi, said: “I had everything except that award that year.

“It was the perfect year; I could not have performed any better. That Ballon d’Or will always be a lingering injustice.

“I am still searching for an explanation, although some have offered their takes. I will never understand why the vote was delayed by more than two weeks, when I was leading among journalists. If the voting had occurred as it should, I would have won.”