Van Gaal: "I’ve yet to see the best of Ribery"

And you might never, Louis.

On Tuesday, barely hours after Bayern Munich manager Louis Van Gaal was interviewed about his squad for the upcoming season, his French winger Franck Ribery was formally charged with soliciting an underage prostitute for his 26th birthday.

If convicted of the charges, Franck Ribery faces up to three seasons in prison – which effectively would be a death sentence for his footballing career.

Along with France’s World Cup mutiny, the prostitution Fscandal, which has been simmering for months, is just part of a series of humiliations to afflict French football in recent months. And it doesn’t look to be ending any time soon:  Ribery’s compatriots Karim Benzema and Sidney Govou have also been linked to his underage call-girl.

What’s amazing is to think how far Ribery’s star has fallen. It’s almost Tiger-esque. A leading light of the World Cup in 2006, Ribery was the envy of every club. During the transfer season last summer he was the subject of numerous inquiries. Only some ludicrous numbers thrown out by Bayern officials kept Real Madrid and other clubs from getting their paws on the Frenchman.

But fast forward 12 months and Ribery is now nothing but damaged goods. He didn’t have a good season with Bayern and he was one of a group of high-profile stars who dramatically disappointed in South Africa. Today, Bayern Munich probably couldn’t offload him even if they wanted to. Instead, it’s Bayern teammates Philip Lahm, Thomas Muller and Bastian Schweinsteiger who are currently being courted by others. Their future is bright; Ribery’s is nothing but uncertain.

Oh là là, Franck Ribery arranges a post match rendez-vous