A-League Coach Casts Doubt on Potential Ribery Move to Australia
Bayern Munich veteran Franck Ribéry has held talks with Hyundai A-League outfit Western Sydney Wanderers over a possible summer move to Australia.
The Frenchman is out of contract at the Allianz Arena at the end of the season and he has already confirmed that his 12-year spell with Bayern Munich will come to an end.
A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers have already been in contact with the 35-year-old over a move, but head coach Markus Babbel has played down that the switch could happen at the end of the season.
"Franck Ribéry, of course, I was in touch with him," Babbel told SMH. "I said 'OK, if you want to earn a lot of money then you have to go to Qatar or somewhere. But if you want to be a rock star, then you have to come to Australia'.
"He hasn't decided at the moment but I can't believe that he will come here, because we're talking about a category that normally for the A-League is not realistic."
A move to Australia would see Ribéry follow in the footsteps of former A-League star Alessandro Del Piero, as well as the division's current marquee names like Keisuke Honda, Siem de Jong and this season's top goalscorer Adam Le Fondre.
But Ribéry, who many believe should have won the Ballon d'Or in 2013, is still playing at a high level for Bayern Munich this season and could easily stay in Europe's top five leagues, or chase the riches of football further afield.
