Franck Bilal Ribéry (born 7 April 1983 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais) is a French football midfielder who plays for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Ribéry had previously represented a number of French clubs, including Marseille and Galatasaray in Turkey. He is known for "pace, energy, skill and precise passing."[1] Since joining Bayern, Ribéry has been recognised on the world stage as one of the best French players of his generation. The previous talisman of Les Bleus, Zinedine Zidane, has called Ribéry the "jewel of French football."[1] Club career Ribéry was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer. After spending the first four years of his career in his home country with four different clubs, Ribéry relocated to Turkey in January 2005, brought in by Gheorghe Hagi, signing a three-and-a-half year contract with Galatasaray, with whom he won the 2005 Türkiye Kupası by scoring one goal and assisting one other in a 5-1 win in the 2005 final against league rivals Fenerbahçe. On 25 April 2005, an appeal by Galatasaray against Ribéry's move to Marseille was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS), who ruled in a statement that Ribéry had terminated his contract with the Turkish club at the end of the 2004–05 season on just grounds, and that Galatasaray was therefore not entitled to any compensation. Ribéry had opted out of his deal in May 2005 in order to return to France after having gone over four months without wages. Galatasaray had sought €10 million in compensation from Marseille, and appealed to CAS after FIFA ruled in Ribéry's favor in July 2005.[2] Ribéry made 68 appearances in all competitions and scored fourteen goals as Marseille finished runner-up to Lyon in the 2006–07 Ligue 1 title race. On 7 June 2007, Bayern Munich signed Ribéry to a four-year deal for a then club-record €25 million.[3] Ribéry was given the number 7 shirt, which was freed up due to the retirement of club legend Mehmet Scholl at the end of the previous season.[4] He made his team début one month later, scoring twice in an 18-0 friendly drubbing of Munich youth side FT Gern. Franck Ribéry. He made his competitive debut for Bayern on 21 July 2007 against Werder Bremen in the first round of the Premiere Ligapokal, scoring twice. He also netted an early goal in Bayern's 2-0 victory over defending champions VfB Stuttgart in the semifinals, but was unable to play in the final (won by Bayern) due to injury. On 8 June 2008, Ribéry was named the 2007-08 German Footballer of the Year.[5] International career Ribéry earned his first cap with France in a 1-0 victory over Mexico on 27 May 2006; he started the match but was substituted for David Trézéguet in the 74th minute.[6] He was part of France's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where he scored one goal in France's 3-1 win over Spain in the second round. He played in the final where France lost to Italy, and his only shot on goal came in extra time.[7] He scored the only goal in France's 1-0 win over England on 26 March 2008. On 17 June 2008, during France's 2-0 Euro 2008 loss to Italy, Ribéry suffered an injury in the eighth minute after rupturing a ligament in his left ankle,[8] and underwent successful surgery in Munich two days later.[9] His return to play happened in the 65th minute of Bayern Munich's 2-0 win over Nuremberg in the third round of the DFB Cup on 24 September 2008. Ribery then scored the only goals in two matches which gave France a double 1-0 win in a home-away roust against Lithuania to boost France's chances of getting into the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.