Goal.com 50: Franck Ribery (12)

13. Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid & Uruguay)

12. FRANCK RIBERY (Bayern Munich & France)

11. Xabi Alonso (Liverpool & Spain)

Franck Ribery further enhanced his superb reputation with another impressive season with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, although the Bavarians would finish the season empty handed. Such is the high esteem with which he is currently held amongst Europe’s top clubs that his name was strongly linked with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea at the conclusion of the season. 

The 2008-2009 season began with Ribery on the sidelines following an injury suffered while at Euro 2008 with France. The midfielder tore ligaments above his ankle during his country’s 2-0 defeat to Italy, which knocked les Bleus out of the competition.

Surgery saw him sit out the first five games of the German season, which was Bayern’s worst start to a Bundesliga campaign in over 30 years. It took a few games to find his form, but it came as no coincidence that Bayern’s season started to improve with the re-emergence of Ribery. 

He scored against Wolfsburg in Bayern’s 4-2 win at the Allianz Arena in what was only his third start of the season, managing to hit the back of the net in six consecutive games as Juergen Klinsmann’s side finished level at the top of the table with Hoffenheim at the winter break. 

Bayern ultimately finished second in the Bundesliga behind surprise winners Wolfsburg, but Ribery was once again clearly the best player in their squad. Though not hitting the absolute heights of his first season at the Allianz Arena, his level of skill and ability had no better in the entire league. The numbers speak for themselves: nine goals and 12 assists in 25 matches.

Lisbon Lion | Ribery single-handedly
demolished Sporting

The French wizard also showed his class in the Champions League, although Bayern were ultimately shown up and knocked out at the quarter-final stage by eventual winners Barcelona. Indeed, Ribery probably had one of his worst games of the season at the Nou Camp during Bayern’s 5-0 defeat. 

In the group stage, he provided five assists in five games, scoring against Lyon in France to boot. He then single-handedly tore Sporting apart in Lisbon, scoring two and laying on another two in Bayern Munich’s 5-0 win in Portugal in the first knock-out stage. Following the debacle in the Nou Camp, he did make partial amends by scoring Bayern’s goal in the 1-1 draw in the return-leg.    

The past season saw him run out three times for France in World Cup qualifiers, and the maestro scored in each of the three matches - one in each of the games with Lithuania and once in the 2-2 draw with Romania. Ribery really has taken on the mantle from Zinedine Zidane in the French national team, and the great ‘Zizou’, in his role as advisor to Real Madrid supremo Florentino Perez, is one of Ribery’s biggest fans.

"There are very good footballers in the world, like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, but the best for me is Ribery," Zidane told ESPN. "And I am not saying that because he is French, but because he is very good."

Despite reportedly confessing his desire to join the new Galactico revolution at Real, it sees Ribery is destined to stay at Bayern for at least another season. However, the Bavarians won’t be able to hang on to their own little superstar for too much longer if he keeps on producing the goods he has done for the past two seasons. 

Mathew Burt, Goal.com

13. Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid & Uruguay)

12. FRANCK RIBERY (Bayern Munich & France)

11. Xabi Alonso (Liverpool & Spain)