Montella hails 'extraordinary' Ribery after Fiorentina move

Fiorentina head coach Vincenzo Montella lauded the "extraordinary" Franck Ribery after the former Bayern Munich star joined the Serie A side.

Ribery completed a free transfer to Fiorentina following his departure from Bundesliga champions Bayern – the French veteran reportedly signing a two-year deal.

The 36-year-old enjoyed a trophy-laden 12-year career with Bayern, winning nine Bundesliga titles and the Champions League, and Montella hailed Ribery.

"He is an extraordinary player, he's eager and we believe he can express himself at his levels here," Montella told Sky Sport Italia.

"He had his first training session today, but I was the only other one there, so I put my boots on after many years and had a kick-about."

Fiorentina open their Serie A season at home to Carlo Ancelotti's Scudetto hopefuls Napoli on Saturday.

Asked if Ribery could make his debut on the opening weekend, Montella said: "We'll see over the next few days how he responds to training and he is very determined.

"But we should take it easy. He was a little rusty, as was I."

Fiorentina consultant Joe Barone, who works alongside new president and owner Rocco Commisso, added via Sky Sport Italia: "Choosing Florence is easy! It's the city of art, of love, he already speaks Italian pretty well and his wife loves Florence.

"He was offered a lot of money elsewhere, but he chose Fiorentina for a club that is growing and he saw at the airport how important the fans are in that choice."

"He is training, is very eager and today is a very important moment for Fiorentina," Barone continued.

"It's exciting fans throughout Tuscany and the world, I saw so many people at the airport and hope there will be many more at the stadium tomorrow to celebrate Ribery."