Franck Ribéry used his visit to the Trento Sports Festival in northern Italy this weekend to reopen an old wound: his bitter failure to win the 2013 Ballon d'Or, despite a stunning season with Bayern Munich.
Now 43, the former France international still carries that frustration. But he is readying himself for a new career in the dugout.
Some wounds never heal, and Ribéry admits as much. Bitterness lingers whenever he thinks back to missing out on the 2013 Ballon d'Or.
A brilliant campaign with Bayern had convinced him the prize was his. Instead he finished third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, a result that still feels unjust to him thirteen years on.
Speaking at the Trento Sports Festival, in comments reported by the "RMC Sport" network, Ribéry said: "2013 was my golden year."
"I was the best player in the German league and in Europe," he added. "Perhaps I deserved the Ballon d'Or. Not winning it was painful. It was a disappointment. I have no difficulty admitting that. It was a magical season, I won everything, and I delivered an excellent performance with Bayern Munich and the national team. What more could I have done?"
Ribéry hung up his boots in October 2022 after a final spell at Salernitana, then joined the Italian club's coaching staff until March 2024. He has completed his coaching qualifications since and now feels ready to start afresh as a manager.
"I realised that I have changed my job," he continued. "For me, managing the team, empathy and the relationship with the players will be matters of the utmost importance. This comes before line-ups and tactics. I had many great coaches, such as Heynckes and Ancelotti, as well as Nicola and Iachini. I learned something from each of them. I would like to play attacking football. My team must win the ball back quickly and look for a goal straight away. In Europe, I am a big admirer of Bayern Munich under Kompany."