Rome (AFP)

At 36, he could have opted for retirement or a golden exile in a minor league, but after having won everything with Bayern Munich, Franck Ribery chose to stay at the highest level and discover the Italian championship in engaging Wednesday with Fiorentina.

"Ribéryssimo!", Like the title Corriere dello Sport, one of the three Italian sports dailies. The French arrived in the morning in Florence aboard a private plane and was welcomed on the tarmac by Giancarlo Antognoni, 1982 world champion and legend of the Tuscan club which he is now one of the leaders.

Polo purple and scarf of his new club in hand, Ribery immediately said a few words in a pretty good Italian.

"I'm happy, I'm here with my family, I talked for a week with Fiorentina, I also spoke with Luca Toni (his former teammate at Bayern, passed by Florence). Fiorentina was a great club and the city was beautiful, "he enthused in a video posted by his future club on Facebook.

The former Munich was then greeted by the dozens of tifosi present at the airport who sang "Ribery! He fenomeno!". Less than two hours later, the club confirmed his signature and the Frenchman was officially a player of the "Viola".

Free of any contract since his departure this summer of Bavaria after 12 seasons and 23 titles, Ribery will discover a new major championship with Serie A, while he could have chosen the money from China or the Gulf and that he has, according to Italian media, declined a proposal from the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"For me, it was crucial that I sign a contract for two years," he told Sky Sports's German channel. "Another important factor is to be able to have my family with me, and I am very happy to be able to play high level football for another two years."

- 'a leader' -

Despite a last very complicated season (16th), Fiorentina remains an historic and ambitious club of the Italian championship, and the arrival of Ribery appears as the first big blow of the new president, the Italian-American businessman Rocco Commisso .

"Tomorrow we will present it to the whole city, we will open the Artemio Franchi stadium so that everyone can greet it, and we expect a full stadium, as the champion deserves," said Joe Barone, Commisso's representative. in Italy.

Ribéry will be in press conference Thursday at 17:30 (15:30 GMT) before being presented to the tifosi in its new stadium, at 20h. Then everything will go very fast and the French could be summoned by his coach, Vincenzo Montella, for the first league match on Saturday at home against Naples.

At 36, the legs and the kidney have aged a little, but the talent and unpredictability remain and the French can serve as a guide to a group filled with young promises (Chiesa, Vlahovic, Milenkovic ...)

In an interview this Wednesday at the Gazzetta dello Sport, Luca Toni was also extremely appreciative about the former Marseillais.

"Franck is a leader, and those who do not know him may be imagining certain behaviors, but in the dressing room he is friendly and will help young people, for example Chiesa, who is arguably the strongest and most powerful Italian. who will learn with Franck the importance of sacrifices.In training, Ribéry guides everyone and in the field, he goes to war, "said the former Italian striker.

For the Florentine tifosi, Knysna or the "Zahia affair" are anyway very far. With Chiesa on the right, Ribery on the left and Boateng in the center, their attack looks good and they will be close to 30,000 subscribers to see that. From Saturday against Naples?

© 2019 AFP