"It was so bad that I had holes in my leg" - Franck Ribery claims he almost lost his leg after surgery

Bayern Munich legend Franck Ribery recently claimed that a standard surgery on his knee had adverse side effects and almost made doctors 'cut off' his entire leg. The former French forward said that the infection that spread across his knee was so bad that he had 'holes' in his leg.

During his time at the Allianz Arena (2007-2019), Ribery was widely considered to be one of the best wingers in world football. He racked up 124 goals and 182 assists in 425 appearances for Bayern, winning nine Bundesliga titles, one UEFA Champions League title, and six DFB-Pokal titles among several others.

After he departed from Munich, Ribery plied his trade in the Serie A - first for Fiorentina and later for Salernitana. The incident that he recalled occurred during his second campaign with the latter, which also turned out to be his final professional season.

In an interview with French outlet L'Equipe, the 41-year-old said (via Tribal Football):

"My knee hurt more and more. 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 added.

Post-retirement, Frank Ribery stayed at Salernitana as a technical collaborator to head coach Davide Nicola. He spent the time working on his coaching licenses, obtaining a UEFA B coaching license in October 2023 - allowing him to be an assistant coach or a full-time youth coach (until the U16 level).

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"I am still looking for explanations" - Franck Ribery opens up on Ballon d'Or snub in 2013

French icon Franck Ribery has revealed that he is 'still looking for explanations' for his snub at the 2013 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

The 41-year-old led Bayern Munich to a historic treble, playing a crucial role in their Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and UEFA Champions League victories in the 2012-13 campaign. In the 2013 calendar year, he racked up 22 goals and 18 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions.

That year, the coveted Golden Ball was won by Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who got 27.99 percent of the total votes. With 24.72 percent of the vote, Argentine maestro Lionel Messi placed second and Ribery only managed 23.36 percent, placing him third.

While Ronaldo (66 goals and 15 assists in 52 games) and Messi (42 goals and 15 assists in 45 games) had unbelievable individual seasons, the Frenchman believed that his success with Bayern made him the favorite for the title.

In a recent interview with L'Equipe, he said (via GFFN):

"It was the perfect year. I couldn't have done any better. This Ballon d'Or will forever be an injustice. I am still looking for explanations. Messi and Ronaldo have always shown me respect. They knew that I was at their table. Being completely humble, in 2013, I had nothing to envy about them."