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Franck Ribery
A midfielder of nomadic tendencies, Franck Ribery has built a career as a tricky wide player who has become one of the best players in the world.
After an outstanding year, Ribery is currently the bookies favourite to receive the Ballon d’Or award.
He has excelled on the domestic stage this over the past few season, contributing a huge amount to Bayern Munich’s success.
Major Honours this year
The 30-year-old winger has been in fine form for Bayern Munich in the past 12 months, helping the Germans secure the treble, as well as individually winning the Uefa title for the best player in Europe.
It’s fair to say that Bayern Munich waltzed their way to a 23rd Bundesliga title last season, finishing up a good 25 points clear of second-placed Dortmund and losing but one solitary game on the way. The team broke or equalled over 24 records in the process, including most total point and most matches without conceding a goal.
The highlight of the Ribery’s season came during the Champions League semi-final stage. The German side completed a crushing 7-0 aggregate win over Barcelona on their route to Wembley.
Key Stats
With 10 goals in 27 appearances last season, he topped the Bundesliga in terms of Performance score, and this campaign has been no different.
Click on the image to enlarge
Ribery has created 34 chances, with five assists to his name. His 60% shot and 81% pass accuracy is as equally impressive.
Total Chances Created
Does he deserve his nomination?
Ribery has had a fantastic year, and he certainly deserves his nomination for this award. His influential involvement in Bayern’s incredible treble winning season is reason enough for his name to be on the 23-man shortlist.
Will he win the award?
Probably. As far as I am concerned, Cristiano Ronaldo is now his closest rival and whilst the Portuguese forward’s individual statistics are tremendous, Ribery has a wealth of trophies to support his cause.
The Frenchman had already scooped the award for the best player in Europe, and who is to say he won’t be crowned the best in the world.
