Ex-France star Franck Ribery says leg was nearly amputated
Former France winger Franck Ribery revealed that he almost had his leg amputated due to a post-surgery infection.
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Rivery had his leg nearly amputated
Ribéry, who won nine Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, retired in 2022 after a 22-year professional career.
His final stint at Serie A side Salernitana was his most challenging ordeal in an injury-plagued season.
The 41-year old told L’Equipe that what initially seemed like a routine knee operation in his final season nearly cost him his leg due to a flesh-eating infection.
“My knee hurt more and more,” Ribery explained. “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.”
Ribery should’ve won Ballon d’Or
Ribery also had spells at Galatasaray, Marseille, Fiorentina, and Bayern Munich, among other clubs, with his time in Munich being the most notable.
The Frenchman scored 124 goals over 12 years with the German giants and was capped 81 times by France.
Meanwhile, Ribery also reflected on the moment he missed out on the Ballon d’Or in 2013.
He was widely favored to win after leading Bayern to a historic treble, providing an assist in the Champions League final, winning the UEFA Best Player in Europe award, and scoring in the UEFA Super Cup.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the award after the voting period was controversially extended by two weeks due to a lack of “eligible voters.”
Ribery ultimately finished third in the voting behind Lionel Messi.
“I had everything except that award that year,” he said.
“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.”
