FRANCK RIBERY HOPES to play on beyond the age of 40 after joining Fiorentina but says he does not intend to be a rival to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ribery’s 12-year stay at Bayern Munich concluded when his contract expired at the end of the 2018-19 season, in which he won a ninth Bundesliga title.
Following prolonged speculation about his next move, the former France winger agreed a two-year deal with La Viola.
And Ribery, who plans to follow in the footsteps of Serie A veterans such as Francesco Totti, is aiming to lead Fiorentina back into the Champions League.
“We have had a very long negotiation, but I am very happy to be here in Florence,” said the 36-year-old.
“I saw great motivation and great confidence in me from the management, and that is why I am here. Naturally, my wife also helped in the choice, because my family is very important.
“I am very motivated, I always want to play. I have a two-year contract and I want to be decisive and help the young players. I want to give something new to this club, I want to bring Fiorentina into the top three of the table.
I came here to help my team, which is Fiorentina. I am not here to be a rival to Ronaldo. Serie A is a great tournament with many excellent players. Inter bought well on the market, as did Juventus.
“The thing I appreciate the most is that people here love and live for football. It’s a wonderful experience and I want to enjoy myself on the field.
Football is my life. It’s the reason I wanted to remain in Europe and I was fortunate to find Fiorentina. I hope to continue playing until the age of 40, just like Francesco Totti.”
Fiorentina open the new Serie A season at home to Napoli on Saturday but Ribery is not expecting to be involved.
“I am not ready to start, but I am happy that I got to train with the squad today, which is very different to training by yourself,” he added.
“I need a week or two to be ready to play, but if the coach [Vincenzo Montella] tells me that I’m needed, I will step up.”
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I’m sure Murphy is a very good coach with plenty of strong recommendations but is this an opportunity lost to bring someone new into the fold with different ideas who isn’t tied to the current management team?
@Ricky Wright: I think Irfu have taken a good approach to u20′s management in the last number of years. They seem to go for coaches who place a high degree of emphasis on skills and heads up rugby. Probably why the 20′s have been more exciting to watch over the last number of years than the senior team.
@Punts & Race Discussion: if we look at the sort of players which have come through and are coming through at Munster and Leinster in the forwards it makes a great reading for the type of players Ireland are looking to produce. I know am missing a few guys here but off top my head that reads well from last few years. All athletically gifted and skilled.
Doris
Deegan
Baird
Connors
Kelleher
Penny
Porter
Ryan
Sheehan
Wycherley x2
Coombes
Ahern
Hodnett
@Punts & Race Discussion: personally I think it was a mistake to have the u20 national team head coach as the academy coach for a province. That was changed in January with Kieran Campbell being appointed. Now the rumour is he’s heading to England which is fair enough. The u20 game is a shambles at the moment due to lack of games as a result of covid. Hopefully it’ll get going again soon
Great Appointment