Former Bayern Munich winger claims to be at par with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Frank Ribery has stated that at one point, he and former Bayern Munich teammate Arjen Robben outperformed Messi and Ronaldo. Ribery and Arjen Robben became key players in Bayern's Champions League victory in 2013, which helped the team complete a fantastic treble. Robben scored the winning goal versus Borussia Dortmund during the final, capping an outstanding campaign for the Bundesliga winners.

Ribery's outstanding performance on the other wing earned him third place in the Ballon d'Or that year, trailing only Ronaldo and Messi. During the same season, Messi tallied 60 goals in 50 appearances for Barcelona. Meanwhile, Ronaldo scored 55 goals in 55 outings for Real Madrid.

The former Bayern Munich winger said, "Personally, I think that myself and Robben at some point were better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But they played in El Clasico, so that worked to their advantage as the audience watched them more."

Despite scoring 124 goals along with 175 assists in 425 games for Bayern, Ribery's 12-year tenure ended in 2019. He departed the German powerhouse with nine Bundesliga championships, six DFB Pokals, four Super Cups, the UEFA Champions League, and the Club World Cup. He spent two years at Fiorentina before joining Salernitana last season, when the Serie A club nearly averted relegation.

Ribery and his feeling of getting robbed from the Ballon D’Or 2013

As of now, the Frenchman feels he was robbed of the highly prized Ballon d'Or in 2013, when CR7 won the award. After dominating world football for over ten years, Messi has won the Ballon d'Or seven times, whereas his Portuguese competitor has five. He has not been able to reach the same heights later in his career. 

Later in 2022, Ribery spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport as he said,  “It was unfair. It was an incredible season for me, and I should have won it. They extended the time for votes, and something strange happened. I felt that it was a political choice."