Franck Ribery says he wants to play at least two more seasons before retirement

With his superb solo goal in Bayern Munich’s 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfirt to clinch their 7th consecutive Bundesliga title, Franck Ribery completed a fairy-tale ending to his illustrios career in Munich. After 12 well-decorated seasons with Bayern, Ribery will move on to end his career elsewhere, though it’s not yet known where he will wind up. Still, the Frenchman feels that he can play for at least another two seasons, per a recent interview with French outlet L’Equipe (captured by FootMercato.net).

He’s been linked with a potential move to either the U.A.E or perhaps even the United States, but Ribery feels that he needs to go somewhere where he’ll really be challenged. The adrenaline rush, he said, is something he wants to keep experiencing until he retires:

I want to play two more seasons. I could have money anywhere. But there’s also the challenge. I’m facing an important decision. I not only have to think about myself, but also about my wife and my five children. But something clicked with this last goal as champion; that helped things with me. I feel that I’m still capable of meeting a nice challenge. I still need adrenaline. The day when I feel that I’m toast, I’ll say “stop.” I’m a realist. My game is based on my physique and acceleration. When I’m on the pitch, I feel that I can still play at a very high level and somehow I always inspire fear.

Whether he stays in Europe or goes abroad for the closing chapter of his career, it;s clear that Ribery’s confident he can still play at a high level until he decides to hang up his boots for good. At 36 years of age, he can bring valuable experience to whatever club he winds up at, even if it’s still a “bigger” club like Bayern:

I’m still hungry. And I think that I still have something to give. As long as I feel that I have a high level in my legs and in my hed, I’ll try to find it. I’ll never lie. I could perhaps still play at a big club... I’m thinking about it. I have the experience that often makes a difference. At 36 years old, if I still set goals like that, it’s not a coincidence. I’m always there.

Wherever he winds up, all of us here at BFW hope Ribery finishes his career on a high note after helping Bayern secure the domestic double in his 12th and final season with the club. With some of his performances on display this season, it’s clear that he still has what it takes to play at a high level for at least another two seasons.

Danke fur alles und viel glück, Franck!

(Photo by A. Beier/Getty Images for FC Bayern)