Franck Ribery: Revisiting the Winger's Best Games on His 35th Birthday

It's fair to say Franck Ribery has been around the block. The Frenchman has enjoyed a 19-year career across seven different clubs, scoring 154 goals in 634 outings.

His footballing legacy is one riddled with off the field controversies, yet there is no questioning his on the field exploits, with 23 titles accrued during his career and some stirring individual showings along the way.

On 7 April, the day of his 35th birthday, it seems only fitting to honour his career with a selection of his greatest games for both club and country as the Frenchman's final year in Bavaria draws to a close - in what will be his final season in Bayern Munich colours.

Spain 1-3 France (2006)

The 2006 World Cup was something of a breakthrough for Ribery, still plying his trade in France with Marseille but earning rave reviews as an up-and-coming world beater.

It was a tournament that started poorly for Les Bleus, a disappointing 0-0 stalemate against Switzerland was followed by an even flatter 1-1 draw with South Korea in their opening group matches. Nonetheless, Ribery continued to impress, starting in every fixture as a 2-0 win over Togo set them up for a daunting round of 16 clash with Spain.

Nothing fazed a 22-year-old Ribery though, as smart ball from Patrick Vieira sent the winger through one on one against Iker Casillas. Without hesitation or doubt, he rounded the Spain keeper nonchalantly and calmly slotted into the net under extreme pressure, equalising for France and setting them on their way to a 3-1 success. He was a menace throughout the game and led his country to an eventual final defeat at the hands of Italy.

Bayern 2-1 Borussia Dortmund (2007)

In his first full season at Die Roten Ribery was nothing short of unstoppable. His exploits earned him the 2007/08 German Footballer of the Year award as well as being named French Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

His performances in the DFB-Pokal certainly helped him scoop those gongs, scoring the opening goal in Bayern's 2-0 win over Wolfsburg, which resulted in the club qualifying for the final against Borussia Dortmund. In the final, Ribery earned the man-of-the-match award, assisting Luca Toni for the opener in the 11th minute, and setting Die Roten on their way towards their 14th cup title.

Bayern 3-0 Basel (2010)

Ribery bagged a brace in a 3–0 victory over Swiss club Basel in the Champions League to result in them topping their group, the season after the club lost to Inter in the final.

While a stirring performance in the Champions League was very much a regular occurrence for the Frenchman, the timing of his goals meant far more. Having been ruled out for two months through injury, Ribery was heavily criticised by Louis van Gaal for his supposed lack of desire shown in his attempted recovery, stating: "He [Ribéry] didn't make any effort and showed no commitment."

The resulting brace on Europe's biggest stage in his first game back had its desired effect, and Van Gaal kept his mouth shut after that.

Stuttgart 0-2 Bayern (2012)

The Frenchman's goal, his side's second in their DFB-Pokal quarter final clash against Stuttgart, bared great significance in the player's career, and etched his name into Bayern folklore.

The goal resulted in Ribéry scoring in every official competition Die Roten had participated in since he joined the club in 2007, and reaffirmed his importance to a side that were well established as one of the best on the continent at this point.

Bayern 2-1 Real Madrid (2012

That same year, Bayern were mounting a sizeable bid to lift the Champions League, hoping to banish memories of their final defeat in 2009. In their path stood Real Madrid, who traveled to the Allianz Arena in supreme form, running away with a La Liga title they would eventually lift with a colossal 100 point haul.

Ribery began proceedings with the opening goal on the night, a powerful finish from inside the box after Los Blancos had failed to deal with a corner. The semi final first leg would finish 2-1, with the return leg finishing the same in Madrid's favour, however Bayern prevailed on penalties. Ribery was unable to finish the full 120 minutes in the final after going off injured, and was left to sit and despair as his side lost out to Chelsea on penalties in their own backyard.

Bayern 2-1 Borussia Dortmund (2013)

Without any doubt the crowning achievement of Ribery's long and illustrious career, the all-German Champions League final in 2013 offered the ex-Galatasaray winger the opportunity to banish demons of previous seasons and lift the trophy that had eluded his club in their last two final appearances.

The showpiece final at Wembley was full of outstanding drama, as Dortmund cancelled out Mario Mandzukic's second half opener to leave the tie looking destined for a further 30 minutes. However, with typical German spirit, Bayern didn't give up and Ribery's cute back-heel found Arjen Robben in the 89th minute, and the Dutchman jinked away from one tackle and Roman Weidenfeller before rolling the ball home.

Ribery had an outstanding game on the night, and finally got his hands on the trophy that had so long alluded Die Roten.

Bayern 3-1 Hannover 96 (2017)

After a couple of seasons being in and out of the team, due to a dip in form and repeated injury problems, Ribery's showing in his side's 3-1 win over Hannover 96 marked a momentous occasion for the Frenchman. He made a record for Bayern's most Bundesliga appearances by a non-German with 235 outings, overtaking former player Hasan Salihamidžić.

While not as prolific as he once was, the 35-year-old continues to feature for Die Roten, and his longevity earning him the nickname 'The King' by supporters, in what is sure to be an almighty send off when the curtain is called on his Bavarian career at the end of the season.