Resurgent Franck Ribery Fuelling Bayern Munich's Drive Towards a Treble

"Franck Ribery is finished," many said of the Frenchman last fall. An ankle injury had sidelined the Bayern Munich man from March until December. And after a total of an hour of football played over two matches, he suffered a muscle tear that further kept him out of action until late February.

For a player well into his 30s, injuries like those Ribery has had to deal with often signal the end. It's harder to recover, especially as one typically begins to lose his explosive acceleration over the first five yards. And there was something ominous about a seemingly normal ankle injury taking as long to heal as Ribery's did. 

All the while, Douglas Costa was asserting himself as Ribery's heir apparent. Signed over the summer, the Brazilian hit the ground running and was perhaps the Bundesliga's best player during the fall campaign.

He filled into Ribery's role on the left wing and, like his teammate, his skills were first and foremost in using his pace and control to dribble past opponents and create opportunities for teammates. So in spite of Ribery's many years of brilliant service at Bayern, there was legitimacy to the claims that he was finished. He was consistently injured, Costa was seven years younger and looking to be a world-beater. It just made sense.

Yet over the last few weeks, Ribery has shown vintage form. Perhaps his best performance in a year came on Saturday as he inspired the Bavarians to victory away to Stuttgart. With Costa on the bench and Arjen Robben in the stands, as well as a motivated and resurgent Mario Gotze standing opposite him in attack, Ribery stole the show.

Ahead of the opener, Ribery danced around the left side of the penalty box. When he saw the opportunity arise, he burst past his marker and crossed low towards Robert Lewandowski. Georg Niedermeier was first to the ball, but the defender stretched and only managed to put the ball into his own net. Bayern were 1-0 up and had Ribery to thank for forcing the error.

That one, important moment was Ribery's most influential of the match, but his performance all round looked to be one from two or three seasons ago. He played with such energy and vigor, far more than one would expect from a 33-year-old.

According to the official Bundesliga live ticker, his 11.28 km run was a team high, and his 36 sprints were more than those recorded by any player on the pitch, Stuttgart or Bayern. Physically, he seems to be in top condition once more.

Ribery's tally of 10 challenges won was also a team high, while his 87 touches of the ball were more than any forward; only defenders Joshua Kimmich, David Alaba, and Javi Martinez, as well as defensive midfielder Xabi Alonso, had more.

Ribery's performance on Saturday did not come all of a sudden; he has been great for a few weeks now. In three of the last four matches, he's either scored or assisted. Last weekend, his acrobatic, wonder-strike was the only goal of the match as Bayern edged Eintracht Frankfurt.

The return of Ribery to form could have a potentially huge effect on Bayern, as they look to contend for titles on three fronts. In the last two seasons, their form has declined in April and May. But with many fit options, including Ribery, perhaps they will maintain their quality until season's end. Being able to rotate stars has kept Bayern sharp in the Champions League in particular, with key players regularly well-rested for their biggest tests.

In August of 2007, an enormous advertisement in Munich depicted Ribery in noble robes, a message reading "Bavaria has a king again." It seems that after almost a year in the woods, the king has returned.

@Mr_Bundesliga