Franck Ribery retires from football with a slew of trophies and memorable moments, but his biggest regret remains not winning the Ballon d'Or.
Few cannot deny that at the peak of his powers, Ribery was one of the very best players of his generation.
He won absolutely everything there is to win with Bayern Munich, including an incredible nine Bundesliga titles and one Champions League.
For years, he and fellow wing wizard Arjen Robben caused chaos for opposition defences and were an integral part of the 2012/13 treble-winning side under Jupp Heynckes.
Advert
In 2013, Bayern also added the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in what was a clean sweep. Ribery notched 22 goals and 18 assists, winning UEFA's Best Player in Europe award and achieving his highest-ever Ballon d'Or finish by coming third.
In terms of the final voting, there wasn't all that much in it. Cristiano Ronaldo accrued 27.99% of the votes to win the prize for a second time, with Lionel Messi getting 24.72% and Ribery amassing 23.36%.
The Ballon d'Or is the award given to the best player from that year and Ribery was the one who made the biggest contribution for his team and did it on the big stage.
He was unplayable, Ronaldo did not win any silverware with Real Madrid by the time the winner was announced, while Messi won La Liga with Barcelona. Ribery won more than the pair of them combined.
Weirdly, the voting stage was extended by two weeks due to a lack of "eligible voters" and that's when you got the feeling it became a bit of a popularity contest - after all Ribery did not have the marketing presence off the pitch than football's two titans.
Going into the initial voting deadline on November 15, Ribery was the favourite for the gong. And all these years later, he is still not over his third-place finish.
"More than a disappointment. It's the biggest injustice of my career," he told L'Equipe, as per Goal.
"Not only for me, for many people. I was on top and I finished 3rd. I had nothing to envy Ronaldo or Messi that year. I say it in all humility because it is the truth."
In various other interviews, Ribery has described Ronaldo's win as "a political choice" and even said he was "disgusted" over the decision.
Luka Modric ended up breaking the Messi-Ronaldo dominance in 2018 but it really ought to have been Ribery a few years before.
Having left Bayern in 2019 after a club-record 24 titles, Ribery has turned out in Serie A with Fiorentina and Salernitana.
However, knee problems have forced him to call time on his glittering 22-year stint in the game.
Taking to Twitter, Ribery wrote: "The ball stops. The feelings inside me do not. Thanks to everyone for this great adventure."
He now joins long-time partner in crime Robben in retirement and finally, full-backs can breathe a sigh of relief.
Topics: Franck Ribery, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, France, Football
Josh Lawless