Ribéry was born on 7 April 1983 in Boulogne-sur-Mer and raised in a low-incomeneighbourhood on the fringes of the city.[3] When he was two years old, he and his family were involved in a car accident in his hometown, colliding with a truck.[4] Ribéry suffered serious facial injuries that resulted in over one hundred stitches and left two long scars down the right side of his face.[4] Prior to joining Stade Brestois in 2003, he worked as aconstruction worker with his father, which Ribéry referred to as a "learning experience".[5]Ribéry's younger brother François is also a football player, and has played for numerous amateur clubs in France. François plays for Le Touquet Côte d'Opale based in Le Touquet.[6]Ribéry's wife, Wahiba, is a French national of Algerian descent and the couple have two daughters.[1][7] Ribéry is a convert to Islam and, following his conversion, adopted the name Bilal Yusuf Mohammed.[8][9][10]
Since establishing himself as an international, Ribéry has been involved in numerous promotional campaigns. For the 2008–09 season, he appeared, alongside international teammate Karim Benzema, on the French cover of video game FIFA 09.[11] Ribéry is sponsored by Americansportswear company Nike and regularly wears Nike Mercurial Vapors. He has appeared in severaltelevision advertisements for the brand and, during the 2007–08 Bundesliga season, starred in a one-time television show called "The Franck Ribéry Show", which aired on Direct 8 in France.[12][13] The show, sponsored by Nike, acted as a variety show with Ribéry appearing in several sketches.[14] On 25 May 2010, a 27 by 30 metres (89 × 98 ft) billboard of Ribéry was officially unveiled in his home city of Boulogne-sur-Mer ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The billboard paid tribute to a similar billboard that was erected for Zinedine Zidane in his home city ofMarseille during his career.[15] The construction of the billboard was initially suspended due to possible image ramifications associated with Ribéry's alleged relationship with an underage prostitute.[16] However, the Regional Council of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, which initially opposed the billboard, agreed to allow construction of the billboard. The billboard was a project of Ribéry's sponsor Nike and was on display for the duration of the FIFA World Cup.[17]
On 18 April 2010, it was first reported by French television service M6 that four members of the French national team were being investigated for their roles as clients of a prostitution ring that was being operated inside of a Paris nightclub with some of the women possibly being underage. The report also stated that two of the players were already questioned as witnesses by judge André Dando and a group ofmagistrates. The report described the two players as being one who “is a major player in a big foreign club” and that the other “plays in the championship of France Ligue 1".[18] Later that day, the players were discovered to be Ribéry and Sidney Govou.[19] During his interview with Dando, Ribéry reportedly admitted to having a relationship with a prostitute, but did not know that she was a minor at the time the relationship began.[20][21] On 29 April, the country's Secretary of State for Sports Rama Yade, after refusing to publicly comment on the case in its infancy, declared that any player placed under investigation should not represent the France national team.[22] The following day, a judicial source confirmed that Ribéry would not be placed under official investigation, if at all, before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[23] On 20 July, Ribéry was questioned by Paris police and, following questioning, was indicted by judge Dando on the charge of "solicitation of a minor prostitute".[24][25][26]
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