Ribery renews criticism of 2013 Ballon d'Or awarded to Ronaldo

Former Bayern Munich and France star Franck Ribery has once again expressed his disappointment at missing out on the 2013 Ballon d'Or, after finishing third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

In comments reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ribery said 2013 was the best year of his career, adding: "I was the best player in the Bundesliga and in Europe, and maybe I deserved to win the Ballon d'Or." He continued: "It hurt not to win it, it was a disappointment, and I have no shame in admitting that. I won everything with Bayern and the national team, so what more could I have done?"

Ribery also pointed out that the voting period for the award was extended to November 29, 2013, after originally ending on the 15th of the same month. He noted that this extension came as Ronaldo was preparing with Portugal for a crucial play-off against Sweden, in which he scored a hat-trick that boosted his chances of winning the award.

Ribery mocked a previous statement by Ronaldo that the Ballon d'Or winner should have won the Champions League, highlighting the contradiction with what happened in 2013. In June 2025, Ribery posted on Instagram: "So you need to win the Champions League to win the Ballon d'Or?" with laughing emojis referencing the incident.

Historic partnership and coaching ambitions

Ribery spoke about his partnership with Arjen Robben at Bayern Munich, saying: "Robben and I formed one of the best duos in the world. We played together for ten years and are perhaps among the greatest in history."

On his experience with Zinedine Zidane in the French national team, Ribery said Zidane was like an older brother to him, stating: "He was the standout star of the team, encouraged me to play without fear, and supported me."

Regarding his future, Ribery announced his intention to go into coaching after completing a training course at Italy's Coverciano center, confirming his readiness for the new challenge. He said that team management and relationships with players would be his priorities, expressing a desire to play attacking football and win back possession quickly.

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Ribery gained coaching experience under top managers such as Jupp Heynckes and Carlo Ancelotti, and hopes to apply what he learned in his upcoming coaching career.