Franck Ribery earned 80 caps for France between 2006 and 2014…
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Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has retired from international football with France – with confirming reports in the Guardian.
The 31-year-old made 80 appearances for his country between 2006 and 2014, scoring 16 goals. He played a crucial role in helping France to the 2006 World Cup final, which they lost on penalties to Italy, but he missed this summer’s tournament through injury.
Ribery joined German champions Bayern in 2007 from his native Marseille, establishing himself as one of the Bavarians key players, scoring 96 goals in 276 appearances.
Speaking about the decision in an interview with German sports magazine Kicker, he said: “I quit. I have found for myself that this moment has come.
“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.
Ribery underwent intensive treatment in an attempt to play in Brazil, but failed to recover sufficiently from the lower back injury which he suffered in training.
The player added: “One has to know when to stop. I have experienced so much and now is the time for others to come forward. You could see at the World Cup that we should have no concerns about France’s future.”