5 players who could take retirement from professional football in 2020

#5 Franck Ribery

Franck Ribery

Age: 36 years

Clubs: Boulogne, Lille, Olympique Alès, Brest, Metz, Galatasaray, Marseille, FC Bayern München, Fiorentina

Country: France

Franck Ribery has come a long way since his days as a youth player for local hometown club Conti Boulogne in 1989 and has cemented his place as one of the greatest traditional wingers in the history of football.

The 36-year-old was known as an assist machine in his prime and possesses excellent dribbling skills, pace, and energy on the ball. He formed a brilliant partnership with Arjen Robben at Bayern Munich and the lethal duo were affectionately nicknamed 'Robbery'.

The Frenchman had plied his trade for the likes of Boulogne, Olympique Ales, Brest, Metz, Galatasaray, and Marseille before making his career-changing move to Munich in 2007. The winger became an integral member of the Bavarian set-up at the Allianz Arena and helped them to a series of titles including a record nine Bundesliga trophies, six DFB-Pokal, a Champions League title and one FIFA Club World Cup.

His exploits for the club's 2012–13 treble-winning season under Jupp Heynckes even saw him nominated alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the three-man shortlist for the coveted Ballon d'Or award.

Internationally, Ribery never won a trophy with France and announced his departure from the national team in 2014. He made 81 appearances for Les Bleus since his debut in 2006 and was a part of the 2006 World Cup team that finished as runners-up to Italy.

The Bayern Munich legend currently plays for Serie A outfit Fiorentina and it remains to be seen if he will end his successful career at the club this year.