At 37 years of age, Franck Ribéry wants to keep enjoying football. Fiorentina practically gave him the keys to the Artemio Franchi, but amid injuries and other injuries he hasn't been himself. This season though he already has two assists, just one less than the entirety of last season, and plans to confirm his return with another masterclass against Sampdoria.
Franck Ribery is a footballing stalwart who refuses to give up, no matter what. A year has now passed since he left Bayern Munich after 12 seasons in a deal with Arjen Robben, and he is playing out his final seasons at Fiorentina.
The Frenchman arrived at the Italian club last season with Fiorentina giving him a new project. The board all but gave him the keys to the stadium, and this summer he made numerous calls to try and recruit his friends from Bayern.
He spoke with players like Mario Mandzukic and Gotze, who are still free agents as we get into the final days before the market closes. But aside from that, Ribery set himself the personal challenge of improving on last season, something that he is close to doing ... after just three matches.
It hasn't been easy from out wide on the wing in a Fiorentina side that has started to occupy more central positions. Between injuries and various other issues, he only managed to play 1,427 minutes, scoring three goals and bagging three assists.
The start of this season has been much more promising though. Against Inter he provided two assists to Chiesa and Castrovilli to spark a comeback, even if his side did end up losing 4-3. That means that he is just one assist away from equalling last season's tally. The next game is against Sampdoria and Ribery will be hungry for more success.