Franck Ribéry’s career is punctuated by anecdotes, sometimes muscular. Retired since 2022, the former French international experienced several meetings at the summit, where tension sometimes boiled over. This was particularly the case during the return of the Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in 2014.
Already in difficulty in the double confrontation, Bayern quickly foundered at the Allianz Arena, losing heavily 4-0 at home and 5-0 over the two matches against an imperial Real. Frustrated by the scenario, Ribéry lost his composure during a tense exchange with Dani Carvajal, going so far as to punch him in the face.
“A question of survival”
“I shouted at Carvajal and I ended up slapping him,” admitted Ribéry in an interview with the daily Marcaevoking “a dispute over the ball”. A gesture that immediately turned the meeting upside down on an emotional level.
“From that moment on, Ramos and Pepe decided to ruin my life. They looked at me like they wanted to kill me every time I touched the ball.”he remembers.
By his own admission, the former Bavarian then experienced the rest of the match as “a question of survival”claiming to have no longer had “a second of respite”. The animosity did not extend beyond the confines of the pitch, however, and relations appeared to be calmed when Real Madrid and Bayern Munich met again three years later on the European stage.
