Ribéry joins Drogba, Blanc and Zidane at Robert Pirès' benefit match in Metz

Franck Ribéry is joining the list of football greats assembled for Robert Pirès’ benefit match on Tuesday, October 6 at Stade Saint-Symphorien in Metz. The former Bayern Munich winger will strengthen the FC Metz Legends team for this tribute evening to the 1998 World Cup champion.

At 52 years old, a decade after his retirement, Pirès has put together three prestigious teams for the occasion: FC Metz Legends, Pirès All Stars and Arsenal Legends. The Moselle stadium, which can hold 28,786 spectators, is expected to be full given such a lineup.

For the Pirès All Stars, the cast brings together much of the 1998 World Cup-winning generation: Laurent Blanc, Marcel Desailly, Lilian Thuram, Franck Lebœuf, Bixente Lizarazu, Christian Karembeu and Youri Djorkaeff will be present, as will Éric Abidal, Djibril Cissé, El-Hadji Diouf, Sébastien Frey, Ludovic Giuly, Claude Makelele, Samuel Umtiti and Didier Drogba. Aimé Jacquet, the selector of the World Cup title, will manage this team from the bench.

Arsenal Legends will be coached by Arsène Wenger, with notably Jens Lehmann, Martin Keown, Lauren Etamé Mayer, Mathieu Flamini, Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna, Kolo Touré, Gervinho, Sylvain Wiltord and Nicklas Bendtner in the Gunners’ ranks.

Franck Ribéry joins the FC Metz Legends, alongside Emmanuel Adebayor, Miralem Pjanic, Rigobert Song, Mevlüt Erding, Ludovic Obraniak and Mamadou Niang. Joël Muller will be on the bench for the locals. The presence of Zinédine Zidane, whose schedule coincides with France-Belgium at Saint-Denis the following day, remains uncertain.