‘It was painful’ – Former Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribéry reflects on disappointment upon being denied the 2013 Ballon d’Or

‘It was painful’ – Former Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribéry reflects on disappointment upon being denied the 2013 Ballon d’Or The history of the Ballon d’Or is fraught with controversy. Franck Ribéry, for his part, would certainly have preferred not to be among those caught up in it. For thirteen years on from seeing the legendary award slip through his fingers, the former Bayern Munich player still carries a wound that will probably never heal. He makes no secret of this, incidentally. “2013 was my golden year,” the now-retired player explained during his visit to the Trento Sports Festival in northern Italy at the weekend, in comments reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport . “I was the best player in the Bundesliga and in Europe. I might even have deserved the Ballon d’Or. Not winning it hurt me. It was a disappointment. I have no trouble admitting that. It was a magical season; I won everything, putting in excellent performances both for Bayern and for the national team… What more could I have done?” A final question which, more than a decade later, still seems difficult to answer. After an exceptional season, Ribéry had played a key role in Bayern’s treble, winning the Champions League, the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. But then Cristiano Ronaldo (41) emerged as his rival, having been voted in with 27.99 per cent of the vote. Lionel Messi (39), the four-time defending champion, finished in second place with 24.72 per cent of the vote. Ribéry, who had earlier been named UEFA’s Best Player in Europe and France Football’s French Player of the Year, finished in third place. GFFN | Léo Aschi