Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the world of football for nearly two decades, but Franck Ribery was one of the few players who stood on their level. Now retired, the France legend has opened up about his feelings of being snubbed during the 2013 Ballon d’Or race, which saw him lose out to Ronaldo.
A legend for both the France national team and Bayern Munich, Ribery officially announced his retirement in October 2022. In an interview with L’Equipe, the forward reflected on his illustrious career, focusing particularly on the 2013 campaign:
“I had everything except that that year. It was the perfect year, I couldn’t have done better. This Ballon d’Or will forever remain an injustice,” Ribery said, expressing his frustration over losing out to Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 2012-13 season was one of the best in Ribery’s career, both individually and with his club. With Bayern Munich, he won the treble (Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, and UEFA Champions League), and he was also named UEFA Player of the Year.
Despite Ribery’s outstanding contributions, it was Cristiano Ronaldo, with 55 goals and 13 assists in 55 games that season, who claimed the 2013 Ballon d’Or. The controversy stemmed from the fact that Ronaldo had not won a major team trophy that year, securing only the Spanish Super Cup, a fact that many fans—and Ribéry himself—believe contributed to an unjust decision.
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The 2013 Ballon d’Or voting
In 2013, France Football and FIFA jointly organized the Ballon d’Or, with coaches, captains, and the media each having a say in the vote. Despite his treble success, Ribery finished third in the Ballon d’Or race, trailing behind both Ronaldo and Messi.
Ronaldo claimed the top spot with 27.99% of the vote (9.36% from coaches, 10.47% from captains, and 8.19% from the press), Messi was second with 24.72% (8.25% from coaches, 8.99% from captains, and 7.49% from the press), and Ribery finished third with 23.36% (6.44% from coaches, 5.19% from captains, and 10.75% from the press).
While the result was close, the voting pattern revealed that Ribery had significant support from the press. However, coaches and captains appeared to favor Ronaldo’s extraordinary stats over Ribery’s trophy-laden season.
