Do you know in which shells pearls are formed? In those who experienced a mechanical shock in the early phase of life. And there the wound remains. Then, the shell heals the wound by creating a substance that later hardens and – voila! – becomes a pearl.***The driver lost control of the car as they rushed straight into a gigantic lorry, full-speed. The crash was horrible! It launched them from their seats, along with a two-year-old whose little head suffered severe injuries that could cause instant death. Thankfully, the medics were quick and saved the toddler’s life, but his face was bruised and battered as tiny pieces of shattered glass made scars on his chin, cheek and up above the eyebrows.More than one hundred stitches created two long scars down the right side, making the boy look like a wounded beast. It was painful, and it created a life-long trauma. On the brighter and paradoxical side, however, it shaped this kid’s character and mentality, making him an underdog who was never willing to surrender – The Marked One. The Gem.##NAJAVA_MECA_6706165##”In a certain way, this accident back in 1985 helped me. As a child, it motivated me. God gave me this difference. The scars are part of me, and people will just have to take me the way I am,” he would recollect years later when he was shortlisted for the prestigious Ballon D’or reward with none other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But there’s even more to it – legendary Zinedine Zidane referred to him as the “jewel of French football”.Well, that’s basically the life story of Frank Ribery, the 39-year-old French footballer ready to call it quits.##EDITORS_CHOICE##According to the Italian newspaper Il Matino, Ribery is set to retire after being released by his current Serie A side Salernitana.He has decided to retire due to his declining physical abilities and injuries, not been featured for the team since August 14. They went for dinner last night – Ribery and Salernitana’s chairman – to put a symbolic end to their against-the-all-odds relationship.Ribery: Me like Maradona in Napoli? I’m here for emotion, not moneyCall of Serie A was impossible to ignore: The Legend of Ribery to get another chapterScarface’s ambition now is to become a manager after completing his coaching badges. Adding one more working experience to his already-packed CV, with anything but ordinary skills for a genuine right-footed left winger. Life forced him into battles that go far beyond regular footballing encounters.Before joining Stade Brestois in 2003, he worked as a construction worker with his father, calling it years later ‘a learning experience’. Just like the one when he was waved from OSC Lille’s youth academy for a broken elbow after previously being overlooked for being ‘too small’.Not only did those obstacles not stop him on his road to brilliance, but Frank managed to thrive despite them and reach the very heights of the game.The whole wide world got to know him during the 2006 FIFA World Cup when he was irreplaceable in that dazzling French squad, along with nothing but the premium stars. Zidane, Henry, Vieira – Beauties and the Beast.📅 On this day in 2006, Zinedine Zidane played his 100th match for France which also Franck Ribéry’s debut for Les Bleus. ✨🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/Ot5H3Z1vxb— Sportive23 (@Sportive_23) May 27, 2022 Excellent dribbles, assists and runs down the left flank provided him with a move to Bayern Munich, where he would spend the next twelve years. And create a larger-than-life wingers’ partnership with Arjen Robben. The notorious ‘Robbery’ duo, as they used to call them. The defences around Europe used to shiver faced with those two striking arrows cutting it deep from the sidelines before dashing to the goal.Franck Ribéry • The French Warriorpic.twitter.com/DOF78W8Mnf— Munich Comps (@MunichComps) August 17, 2022 With Ribery in the starting XI, Bayern won nine Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokal, one UEFA Champions League and one FIFA Club World Cup, which include five doubles and one treble, amounting to a then club record of 24 titles over twelve seasons.Last few years, he decided to spend in much sunnier Italy, enjoying himself in Florence and Salerno at the dawn of his playing career. A bit unusual for the fighter of Ribery’s ilk, but maybe as a short hiatus before a new massive challenge – in the dugout.For a guy shaped in the trenches of life, this would be just another chance to shine.By: BOJAN BABIC
