Franck Ribéry decided, at the age of 38, to extend his adventure in Serie A by joining Salernitana, promoted this season in the Italian elite.
“FR7” had been free since June 30 and the end of his two-year contract with Fiorentina, as the Florentine club did not offer him an extension as he wanted.
Ribéry, who has signed for a year, with an option for an additional year, was welcomed at the Arechi stadium by his teammates and several hundred supporters.
“It’s an incredible passion and that’s why I came to Salerno (…). I came to bring my experience to the team,” said the player during a press conference.
“The Maradona of Salerno”?
Ribéry, whom some now see as the “Maradona de Salerno”, will have for main mission to contribute to the maintenance in Serie A of the Salernitana, which plays the third season of its history in the elite, the first since the financial year 1998- 99. Second in Serie B last season, the promoted started with two defeats against Bologna (2-3) and AS Roma (0-4).
From the amount of salary (1.5 million euros for the season) to housing, everything had been negotiated in recent days, according to several media, with a player seduced by the enthusiasm of Salernitana supporters.
Since the end of his contract with Fiorentina, the former French international (81 caps, 16 goals) has continued to train, especially within the facilities of Bayern Munich, and awaited proposals. His name was mentioned in particular this summer on the side of Sampdoria, Hellas Verona and Lazio.
Braked by injuries in Florence
At Fiorentina, where he received a superstar welcome two years ago, Ribéry had some great evenings in Serie A (50 matches, 5 goals) but was also regularly held back by physical glitches. And the club wanted to turn the page with the arrival of a new coach, Vincenzo Italiano.
The native of Boulogne-sur-Mer will thus know his ninth club since the start of his career which took him from Boulogne to Munich, via Brest, Metz, Marseille or Galatasaray.
His record includes nine German league titles and a Champions League with Bayern and a runner-up title with France in 2006.
La Salernitana was until last season a cousin club of Lazio, since co-owned by Laziali boss Claudio Lotito. But a sales process was launched in June, run by an independent trust, to allow the promoted to enter Serie A, with regulations prohibiting two clubs from belonging to the same owner.
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