Unrealized dreams

It was a signing which sent shockwaves through European soccer. When Bayern Munich paid 25 million euros ($36 million) for Marseille and France midfielder Franck Ribery in June 2007, it signaled a change in the Bavarian giants' transfer policy. Bayern would be spending big on world stars in a bid to challenge not only for the Bundesliga but also the Champions League.

The shock was compounded when viewed within the context of the clubs that Ribery turned down to move to Germany. After pledging his love for Marseille and the desire to play in the Champions League with the club, it appeared that only one of the biggest of the big boys could steal the coveted playmaker away - clubs on the order of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United.

Ribery's snubbing of the likes of Real, Barca and United was always going to raise eyebrows – and questions. What on earth had Bayern offered one of the most sought-after players of that summer to come to the Bundesliga, the poor, unglamorous relation of La Liga and the Premiership? Surely if it had been a huge amount of money, these other suitors could have bettered the deal?

Bayern hierarchy sell Munich ambitions to Ribery

"In the summer of 2007, Bayern changed their mind and suddenly started playing the same game as the other big clubs in Europe," Patrick Strasser, who has spent more than a decade on the Bayern beat for Munich's Abendzeitung newspaper told Deutsche Welle.

"They spent a hell of a lot of money, especially for Ribery, Toni and Klose. They promised Franck and the world champion Toni they would try to reach at least the quarter-finals of the Champions League every year and to invest in the squad from year to year."

Independent soccer correspondent David Hein believes that Bayern's ambitious plan for the future turned Ribery's head - but that the Germans’ pulling out the financial stops sealed the deal.

"I think Ribery chose Bayern because he was only 24 at the time and I think they were offering big money. Luca Toni had just been signed a week earlier and Klose was also in the frame to join from Bremen so I think he also saw it as a chance to shine for a big time club," Hein told Deutsche Welle.

Ribery's choice to move to Bayern seemed to be paying off in his first season. He excelled and tore German defenses apart, looking every cent of the 25 million euros Bayern paid for his silky services. The Frenchman scored 11 goals as Bayern won the German Cup and the Bundesliga title. The promise of domestic glory at least had been kept as Ribery ended his first season in Bavaria laden with medals and accolades.

Bayern's surge to the semifinal of the UEFA Cup suggested too that they might have the European credentials to build on when they stepped up into the Champions League the following season. Ribery would have entered the 2008-09 season with optimism.

Cracks appear as Bundesliga and European failures bite

But Bayern's Bundesliga campaign under new coach Juergen Klinsmann started erratically, and Ribery and Co. had to battle back from 11th to climb to second place at the winter break. It could have been the start of a surge to another title - in fact, it was a false dawn. That spring, the wheels came off.

In one terrible month of April, Bayern were thrashed 5-1 by Wolfsburg in the league and 4-0 in Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Klinsmann was sacked, Munich crashed out of Europe, and dropped off the pace in the title race. Jupp Heynckes was brought in to steady the ship and achieve the minimum goal of Champions league qualification but the campaign was viewed as a failure. Ribery managed nine goals but ended his second season empty-handed and disillusioned.

"The absolute beating they took from Barcelona in that quarter-final at Camp Nou showed just how far away from the European elite Bayern really was," Luke Faron, a European soccer reporter at TheOffside.com, told Deutsche Welle. "It would have to have been the turning point."

Two seasons into a four-year deal and Ribery was again the subject of intense transfer speculation. By summer the rumor mill was running overtime. Real Madrid allegedly offered 60 million euros for his signature; Chelsea were reported to have offered 40 million euros while Barcelona and Man United were also back in.

Clash of personalities turn the dream sour

It could have just been another summer of innuendo until Ribery allegedly told French media: "I want to leave. It is Real or nothing." This was the first time the Frenchman had stated his wish to be done with Bayern. It sparked a war of words with the Munich hierarchy which ranged from stone-wall denials that Ribery was leaving to disgusted proclamations that the Frenchman was not worth the grief and he could go. Ribery finally retracted and denied his comments and settled down sheepishly for pre-season training, still kitted out in Bayern attire.

Then came the arrival of Louis van Gaal as coach, another factor many experts believe has contributed to Ribery's apparent desire to leave Munich and the Bundesliga behind.

"The structured, disciplinarian Dutchman isn't quite to the jovial, practical-joking Ribery's taste," Luke Faron said.

"They also had a public spat about how Ribery would be used in Van Gaal's system. This was papered over a bit by Ribery's goal celebration against Dortmund, when he sprinted to the sideline and leaped into the arms of his surprised manager, but tension remains."

The playmaker has been making headlines more for his indecision over his career than any soccer reasons (he’s made just six appearances and scored one goal), and has said that he will decide on his future before the World Cup in South Africa in June. He has not ruled out extending his Bayern contract but with the usual suspects watching developments closely, a move to London or Madrid cannot be discounted, especially as he could go for nothing at the end of next season.

Signs suggest Ribery's time in Germany is almost up

"Ribery seems to dream of a big club like Real Madrid all the time," said the Abendzeitung’s Patrick Strasser. "Nobody says it but everybody at Bayern believes that he will leave in the summer. Real is interested as ever with Zinedine Zidane, Ribery's idol, trying again to convince him to join Madrid."

Luke Faron agrees: "Unless Bayern have their longest Champions League run since winning it all in 2001, I think you can expect to see Ribery in Madrid in next season."

"Bayern should have sold Ribery during the last off-season," said David Hein. "His value will likely never be higher and Bayern are traditionally a very fiscally conscious team. They could have used that money to find another playmaker looking to prove themselves - just like Ribery was when he came to Bayern. I think things have run their course in his eyes and he would like a fresh start."

If he does go, questions will again be asked about what Bayern's current stature is on the European stage, and the attractiveness of the Bundesliga. But the most likely reason would be the inability of Bayern to realize the ambitious plans they made back in the summer of 2007; unfulfilled promises that Ribery himself seems to have finally accepted were just pipe dreams.

"I would really like to win the Champions League, but our team doesn't have the necessary firepower right now," the Frenchman told the Bild daily recently. "At the moment, we can't compete."

The smart money is on Ribery moving to a team which can.

Author: Nick Amies
Editor: Matt Hermann