Reuters
PARIS, May 21
France winger Franck Ribery will play in his last World Cup in Brazil, the Bayern Munich player said on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old, who also featured in the 2006 and 2010 tournaments, wants to sign off in style by winning the trophy.
“First off it will be my last World Cup,” he told French radio station RTL. “Then we have to go (to Brazil) to do something, to try to win the World Cup, quite simply.”
Ribery, who has scored 16 goals in 80 games for France, has not announced his international retirement, however, and will hope to figure in the plans for Euro 2016 which France hosts.Ribery broke into the France team just before the 2006 World Cup in Germany and scored his first international goal in a 3-1 second-round win over Spain. He played in every match including the final which France lost on penalties to Italy.
He featured again at Euro 2008 but suffered an injury early in France’s final group match as they finished bottom.
The 2010 World Cup in South Africa also ended in failure with Raymond Domenech’s squad torn apart by internal squabbling as they managed only one point and one goal in the group stage.
Following an argument between Domenech and Nicolas Anelka that led to the striker being sent home the squad refused to train and Ribery was later suspended along with Anelka, captain Patrice Evra and Jeremy Toulalan for their part in the revolt.
He returned to the side for Euro 2012 qualifying but endured disappointment again at the finals in Poland and Ukraine as France lost 2-0 to eventual winners Spain in the quarter-finals.
