Bayern Munich legend, Franck Ribery, has revealed that a standard surgery on his knee had adverse effects on his health.
According to him, this situation almost made doctors ‘cut off’ his entire leg.
Ribery, regarded as one of the best French players, said the infection that spread across his knee was so bad that he had ‘holes’ in his leg.
The Frenchman was at Bayern Munich from 2007 to 2019 racked up 124 goals and 182 assists in 425 appearances for Bayern.
He won nine German Bundesliga titles, one UEFA Champions League title, and six DFB-Pokal titles among several others.
When he left Bayern Munich, the winger joined Italian Serie A side, Fiorentina and later for Salernitana.
Ribery’s injury happened during his second campaign with Selemitana, which also turned out to be his final professional season.
In an interview with French outlet L’Equipe, the 41-year-old said, “My knee hurt more and more. I was no longer training between matches but rather recovering to protect myself. I went under the knife in Austria.
“The operation went well, with a plate inserted inside. But I had a bad infection almost five months later.
“They removed the plate, but the infection had eaten away at me. It was so bad that I had holes in my leg. I had contracted Staphylococcus aureus.
“I was in the emergency room at the hospital in Austria for 12 days. I was really scared. They could have cut off my leg,” Ribery added.
