By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Bayern Munich fans have seen many superstars over the years but rarely has one touched their hearts like Franck Ribery. The Frenchman has been at the club for more than a decade and has helped Bayern win 19 titles, including the 2013 Champions League. Now at the age of 34 he has to fight for recognition, not from the fans, but from the club' s leaders.
The club's management and Bayern's new manager for the 2018/2019 season will have to decide if Ribery is going to be rewarded with a new contract.
"I want to stay as long as possible. Bayern is my club, Munich is my home," Ribery said. Teammates like David Alaba and goalkeeper Sven Ulreich speak of the value of having Ribery in the team. "He is always one of the best when [he's] on the pitch. I am sure he has one or two more years for Bayern," Ulreich said.
So far the club's reaction has been relatively reserved. "[There's] no need to hurry," Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic said.
Ribery is considered to be part of the "Bavarian football family." In fact, "family" is a prominent phrase at the club, despite the pragmatic ambitions in professional football that every player has to address.
No other foreign player has ever played ten consecutive seasons in Munich. It's fair to assume he's not just flattering the fans when he says that "he feels more German than French". No doubt, Ribery has found a home after he struggled for many years to find his way.
Bayern president Uli Hoeness has turned into something resembling a father figure for Ribery. He's been known to have a calming influence on the temperamental striker.
After scoring Bayern's second goal last weekend when the side beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1, Ribery took the opportunity to promote his campaign. Again he was one of Bayern's best and he hammered his fist on the clubs emblem on his shirt, to show fans how much the club means to him. Thousands of Bayern fans praised and cheered him.
Ribery stands for quality; he has for many years. He is essential when it comes to the entertainment factor within the team. He is also a family man who loves to play with his kids. He loves to tell the story about his sons sitting one some cardboard, being pulled left and right by their father using a bathrobe belt.
There's also the story of the time he tried to find a parking spot for the team bus and he was sitting in the driver's seat bumping into plants and other obstacles.
It won't be enough this time to be a rascal, a comedian, someone who doesn't take life too seriously. Ribery has to prove he can still perform at a top level over several months and compete with younger competitors like Kingsley Coman.
This time Ribery has to fight. Pundits assume Bayern's other golden ager Arjen Robben (soon turning 34) is expected to get a new contract.
The club intends to announce Ribery as one of its ambassadors after his retirement. Ribery would prefer to remain at the club as a player. "I am happy here. The most important thing is to stay fit. I always give 100 percent in a game," he said.
Insiders say Ribery's chances don't look that bad, but he will have to accept that he won't be in starting eleven every game. It seems to be up to Ribery now how long he will be playing for Bayern.
