French winger and Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery has announced his departure from the international football, thus passing the chance to join ‘Les Bleus’ for the 2016 European Championship.
“I am stopping,” the 31-year-old told German magazine Kicker in an interview to be published on Thursday. “I realized that this moment has come.” The 31 year-old won 81 caps and scored 16 international goals since making his debut for France in 2006.
He missed the world cup due to injuries, he said “I was treated for a back injury but at the end the pain was still too much that playing was not possible,” Ribery said. Europe’s player of the year in 2013 said he wanted to make way for a younger generation of players. “I want to focus on my family and fully concentrate on my work at Bayern Munich and make way in the national team for the many young and exciting players,” he said.
