5 Most probable destinations for Franck Ribery

Franck Ribery is expected to leave Bayern Munich when his contract expires in the summer of 2018. The 34-year-old has won seven league titles, five German Cups and one Champions League trophy since joining the club in 2007 and may yet add further honours to his haul in his final season in Bavaria.

But where will the former French international be playing his football next season? Here are 5 possible destinations for Ribery.

#5 China

In an interview with Kicker back in March, Ribery ruled out playing for another club in Europe after Bayern and laid out four possible future destinations for himself: China, Dubai, Qatar or the United States. Let us examine each of these possibilities closely.

However, recent constrictions on the number of foreign players each team can employ may make China a less probable destination for Ribery that it would have seemed a year or so ago. However, there are still plenty of Super League participants who would love to have a renowned player like Ribery on their books.

His former French international teammate, Nicolas Anelka, played for Shanghai Shenhua for a couple of seasons and the club are likely to be looking for another star soon, with Carlos Tevez expected to depart, sooner or later.

Beijing Sinobo Guoan, coached by former Bayer Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt, could be another option, while there is a French-speaking contingent at Tianjin Quanjian, home to Anthony Modeste and the Belgian international Axel Witsel.

#4 Dubai

Would defences in Dubai be able to deal with Ribery's dribbling?

The specific mention of Dubai, rather than the United Arab Emirates as a whole, suggests that Ribery’s choice of club in the UAE would be limited to those located in that city. Of the current top-flight teams, that means either Al-Nasr, Al-Wasl or Al-Ahli-Dubai.

Former Italian national team coach, Cesare Prandelli, would surely love to have a player of Ribery’s quality at Al-Nasr.

Al-Wasl have in the past had a strong French influence, with coaches such as Alain Laurier, Bruno Metsu and Guy Lacombe.

Al-Ahli-Dubai, Rigery has the option of joining up with Senegal international striker, Moussa Sow, a former French youth international.

#2 Qatar

Ribery played for Metz and Marseille under Jean Fernandez

There is an awful lot of money floating around in Qatari football and a fair sum of it has been used to establish links with the French game. Paris Saint-German is owned by Qatar Sports Investments, while the the beIN Sports network from the Arab country has taken over the broadcast rights to the large majority of the major European and international competitions of France.

There could therefore be some cache in securing an internationally known French player such as Ribery for the Qatar Stars League, particularly so with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar now on the horizon.

Al-Duhali, formerly known as Lekhwiya SC, are the dominant team in Qatar, having won five of the last seven league titles. They have a good number of French speakers across their coaching and playing staff as well.

But the most compelling option for the Frenchman is the Al-Gharafa unit, which is coached by Jean Fernandez. It was Fernandez who gave Ribery his first opportunity in the French top flight at Metz back in 2004, and later, they also worked together at Marseille. The pair is complimentary of each other in interviews frequently and the relationship could be key to Ribery joining Al-Gharafa if a move to Qatar becomes viable.

#1 United States

A former international teammate, Patrick Vieira, could again join forces with Ribery

Major League Soccer is no longer a retirement home for famous players, but clubs across the league now show keen interest in bringing across older European stars if the opportunity presents itself and the conditions are right.

Ribery’s former Bayern Munich teammate Bastian Schweinsteiger turns out for Chicago Fire, while they are currently 10 French players plying their trade in the MLS. Youri Djorkaeff and Thierry Henry both ended their careers in the United States.

There are plenty of possible destinations for Ribery, but there are a few that particularly stand out.

New York always has a pull and the New York Red Bulls as well as the New York City team could thus be tempting options for the 34-year-old. The latter is coached by Ribery’s former French international teammate, Patrick Vieira.

The inclination of Ribery towards the French-speaking city of Montreal, home to team Montreal Impact, is obvious.

The 2018 expansion team, Los Angeles FC, may also be keen to secure a star name.

#1 Another Year at Bayern Munich

Ribery has a good relationship with Jupp Heynckes

It is most likely that this will be Ribery’s final campaign at Bayern, but there still remains a slight possibility that his contract will be extended for one more season. The chance of that happening certainly increased when Jupp Heynckes returned to replace Carlo Ancelotti in October.

Ribery credits Heynckes with drawing the best out of him during Bayern’s treble winning year in 2013. The appreciation is mutual. Earlier this year, before his return to Bayern, Heynckes said that he thought Ribery still had two more years of top-level football left in him.

Will the winger play one more year with the Bundesliga side?