Rummenigge Reveals How Much Money Real Madrid Offered for Ribery: I Want to Leave

"I Want Real Madrid". That's what Franck Ribéry confessed, according to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The former Bayern director revealed this desire in a commemorative video for the German club.

It seemed inevitable that Ribéry would sign for Madrid. "He won't stay here," a lawyer told Rummenigge.

But he replied: "He will stay. He'll sign for five years and earn more money". And so it was.

Real Madrid Offered 75 Million

In an interview with AS, Rummenigge revealed a key fact. In 2008, Real Madrid offered 75 million euros for Ribéry. A record figure at that time.

The Frenchman had more options. "I had offers from Juventus, Inter, Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona," the player himself recalled.

Bayern Rejected the Offer

Despite the large amount of money, Bayern made a decisive decision. "We wanted to send a message to the world of soccer. We discussed a lot, but we decided not to sell," Rummenigge explained.

The German club wanted to show that it was not a selling team. "It was a clear signal to our players and other clubs," he added.

Bayern's decision affected Ribéry. "I went crazy and was about to leave," he confessed years later.

Even his wife supported the idea of moving to Madrid. "She told me: 'If it makes you happy, we'll go'", the Frenchman revealed.

Bayern Threatened Real Madrid

Madrid's interest caused tensions. Rummenigge accused the white club of violating FIFA rules. "We didn't give permission for them to talk to Franck," he denounced in 2009.

Bayern managed to retain Ribéry. Finally, the Frenchman found his home in Munich. "He discovered that Bayern was his family," Rummenigge concluded.