Franck Ribery has expressed his irritation at FIFA extending the voting in the Ballon d’Or award, but says ‘I am not afraid’.
The Bayern man is one of three finalists for the 2013 edition of the award, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
For the winger, FIFA’s decision to extend the voting on who should win, and allow those already to have voted to change their mind, was a curious one.
“This is the first time that it has happened. It is a shame and a disadvantage, but I am not afraid. I am calm,” Ribery has told Sport Bild this week.
“I have not spoken about Cristiano not even with my teammates about him. Why should I? I do not care who is going or not.
“For me, it is an honour to be among the three elected and so it is normal that I will attend the gala,” continued Ribery, in reference to Ronaldo’s comments that he is still undecided about attending.
The Frenchman also reflected on life this season at Bayern under Pep Guardiola.
“He gives me the freedom to do what I want, I can go down the left or down the right. Pep has told me, it is important to have the ball.
“From this profile I do look like Messi and surely Pep wanted to sign me for Barca, but luckily for Bayern this transfer never happened.”
