FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery is retiring from the France national team, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family and make place for younger players.
Ribery told Germany’s Kicker magazine that “the moment has come” to quit, adding that the move comes “purely” for personal reasons. The decision means he will miss the 2016 European Championship hosted by France.
Kicker released the interview during today’s German Super Cup match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Ribery was not in the line-up, with Kicker saying he is struggling with a knee problem after a back injury ruled him out of the World Cup in Brazil.
“I am stopping. I’ve realised that this moment has come,” the 31-year-old winger told Kicker. “I’d like to dedicate myself more to my family, to concentrate fully on the job in Bayern Munich and to make place in the national team for many great young players.”
Ribery played 81 games for France, scoring 16 goals, and was part of the team that lost the 2006 World Cup final to Italy. But he had an uneasy relationship with France officials and supporters.
He was a central figure in the team’s player strike at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and his reputation took a further hit when he and fellow France player Karim Benzema went on trial for allegedly having sex with an under-age prostitute. They were both acquitted in January in a case that lasted three years.
“You have to know when to quit. I’ve experienced so much. It’s time to let others come through and one could see at the World Cup that one doesn’t have to worry about the future of France,” Ribery told Kicker.
France were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual World Cup winners Germany.
“There were highs and lows, now is the time for a new chapter in my life,” Ribery said.
