Franck Ribery bursts into tears on the field in Salerno

Ribery, who has just announced his retirement, greeted the Arechi crowd

Applause for Franck Ribery at the Arechi, packed to greet the French champion one last time before the match between Salernitana and Spezia. The former Bayern player, who announced in recent days his retirement due to a bad knee, was hailed by the Salerno crowd.

Upon entering the field for the last lap, he received first the homage of Salernitana president Danilo Iervolino, then of all his teammates. The Curva Sud displayed the banner “You can’t turn off the lights,” and the former transalpine national team player burst into tears from emotion. He will now join the staff of the Campania club, as announced by coach Davide Nicola: “Having him on our staff is a pleasure, he could have done anything anywhere in the world and instead he agreed to stay with us. He will be an all-around collaborator, he is a potential coach because of his personality, knowledge and ability to downplay and read moments. He is now on the other side of the fence and will be able to perceive different dynamics. And his willingness to learn still appeals to me. I hope tomorrow he can be by my side on the bench.”