Franck Ribéry says 2013 Ballon d'Or loss still hurts after 13 years
At a sports festival in Trento the 43-year-old reflected on his trophy-laden 2013 season and said not winning the Ballon d'Or was painful.
Franck Ribéry said the disappointment of missing out on the 2013 Ballon d'Or still lingers, despite that season being the high point of his career. Speaking at the Sports Festival in Trento, northern Italy, the 43-year-old former France international described 2013 as his "golden year", a campaign in which he won five major trophies with Bayern Munich.
Ribéry recalled the sweep of silverware from that season—Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup—and insisted he had produced his best football both for club and country. "2013 was my golden year. I was the best player in the Bundesliga and in Europe. Maybe I even deserved the Ballon d'Or. Not winning it hurt. It was a disappointment and I have no problem admitting that. It was a magical season, I won everything, playing at the highest level for Bayern and for the national team… What more could I have done?" he said.
How the vote went against him
Pascal Feret, the former director of France Football, recently commented on the 2013 voting procedure and said the rules in force at the time helped determine the final outcome. "The situation was specific because at that time there were three categories of voters: journalists, national team coaches and team captains. Ribéry had a huge lead among journalists. What cost him the victory were the votes of the coaches and captains. In the classic format, he would have won the Ballon d'Or," Feret told RMS Sport.
Statistically, however, Ribéry’s individual numbers in 2012/13 were behind the tallies of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Ribéry scored 11 goals and provided 20 assists in 43 appearances for Bayern. Messi recorded 60 goals and 15 assists in 50 games for Barcelona, while Cristiano Ronaldo finished with 55 goals and 12 assists in 55 matches for Real Madrid.
Despite Ribéry’s claim of having had the finest season of his career, the final Ballon d'Or ranking placed him third, behind winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Photo: press material from the event
