Franck Ribery will face personal and professional challenges in the coming weeks, but he plays soccer like a man who doesn’t have a care in the world.
The French winger scored one of the best goals of the 2012-13 season on Saturday, displaying perfect technique as he volleyed home a shot with power and precision. It was the second of two goals he scored on a day when he was at his absolute best.
Ribery’s superb strike came in the second half of Bayern Munich’s 4-3 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach. The thrilling contest marked the end of a fine Bundesliga campaign for rampant Ribery and record-breaking Bayern.
Ribery scored 10 goals (and added 15 assists) in the 27 league games in which he played, saving the best for last.
Although he captured the 2007–08 German Footballer of the Year award (after an outstanding first season at Bayern), manager Jupp Heynckes thinks 2012-13 has been the pinnacle of his impressive career, according to FIFA.com.
“Franck’s having a superb season, probably the best of his career It’s no real surprise he scored twice,” Heynckes said. “He’s been unbelievably team-oriented the whole season. That’s where he’s come on incredibly.”
Ribery and Bayern hope to stay at the top over for a little while longer. They face domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday and Stuttgart German cup final on June 1.
Ribery will have a busy summer after the ball stops rolling. He hopes to sign a contract extension, which would give him the chance to end his career at Bayern. French club Paris Saint-Germain is monitoring the situation, and it could launch a transfer bid if Ribery doesn’t sign a new contract.
The contract isn’t even Ribery’s most pressing summer issue. The 30-year-old will stand trial in June after he had sex with an underage prostitute in 2008. He could face up to three years in prison if he is convicted in a French court of paying to have sex with a minor.
Observers would never know Ribery has trouble in mind judging by his recent play and moments like this.
See Ribery’s volley in the video below.
Have a question for Marcus Kwesi O’Mard? Send it to him via Twitter at @NESNsoccer, NESN Soccer’s Facebook page or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.
