Franck Ribery, “I really love Algeria”

In an interview with Serie A Youtube channel for the Middle East and North Africa, Franck Ribery returned to the relations he established with Algeria.

The legend of Bayern Munich and Olympique de Marseille, Franck Ribery still plays, at 39, in the US Salerina.

Close to receiving the Ballon d’Or ten years ago, the winger gave an interview to the official YouTube channel of the Italian Championship, and discussed the state of Algeria: “Algeria is my family’s country (Editor’s note: Franck Ribery is married to an Algerian), I really love Algeria. I have visited Algiers, Tlemcen city in particular, and it was an excellent stay. They made me feel very welcome. I could see that the Algerians love football and they love their country! Unfortunately, Algeria will not participate in the World Cup and this saddens me, but this is football.»

Asked by the journalist if he has a message to pass on to the Algerian fans, clearly saddened by the failure of the African Cup of Nations and qualification for the World Cup, Ribery offers an optimistic thought:I tell all the Algerians not to forget what their national team did, especially during the African Cup of Nations, because Algeria has a very strong team made up of great players. Like I said before, this is football. You have to work and think about the future.»

Finally, Ribéry brought back a good memory on a summer evening in 2019. With his presence in Egypt, he witnessed Algeria’s final victory over Senegal: “Yes, I watched the final match from the stadium. The organization was very good for the final. I saw the Algerian people in the stadium. It was a good match even though it was very difficult. At last, I went into the greens’ locker room and the joy there was immense, the emotion so strong. I was very happy for Belmadi, the players and all the Algerians.»

DZfoot