'One of a kind' midfielder is idolised in Germany and is Footballer of the Year
Seldom has there been a player who took the Bundesliga by storm as completely and quickly and who is admired as universally as Ribery. Kevin Keegan, another diminutive offensive player who managed to become some kind of folk hero in all of Germany, not just at his own club, needed many months to settle in. But Ribéry, signed from Marseille for an estimated 25m Euros in the summer of 2007, made an immediate impact and was voted Germany's Footballer of the Year 2008 after his debut season. (He was also named France's Footballer of the Year, thus retaining his 2007 title.)
What's more, he's also one of the very few Bayern players, past and present, who are not disliked with a passion outside of Munich. One reason is his personality – Ribéry is known as the club jester and treats everyone with respect and courtesy.
The other reason is the football. Ribery delights crowds with his flicks and tricks and is also, unusually for a gifted dribbler, unselfish and a great assists man.
He is Bayern's only outfield player who is not replaceable, because he's the one who makes something happen when all else fails. In fact, his presence is so crucial that no one at Bayern minds that Philipp Lahm has to play more cautiously to cover for Ribery on the left side of the pitch.
"Franck's creativity, his instinct and also his cheekiness are incredible," says Jürgen Klinsmann and even the Kaiser himself, Franz Beckenbauer, is amazed: "He is a one of a kind, a phenomenon."
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