Franck Ribery Slams Louis van Gaal, Reveals Real Madrid, Barcelona Transfer Bids

Franck Ribery claims a "poisoned" relationship with former Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal nearly forced him out of the Bundesliga club and toward the clutches of Real Madrid, Barcelona or another European elite.

Speaking to Christoph Kockeis of Goal.com, the French winger suggests talks with Bayern's board kept him at the Allianz Arena during Van Gaal's reign:

I had intensive talks with Uli Hoeness, who was still president back then, and chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. They told me I should not go, how the club needed me, how I was as important for Bayern as Lionel Messi was for Barcelona.

Real tried, they wanted me. I don't know what price Bayern wanted them to pay. In the end I am happy how it ended.

Ribery indicates his problems with Van Gaal, who has lifted Manchester United to third in the Premier League this season, started right from the coach's arrival in 2009, per Kockeis:

We had problems on a human level. When he started, nobody knew what was going to happen. His idea was that he did not care about names at all, you don't need stars, everybody had to prove themselves again.

The first contact with him was already poisoned. As a professional you lose your trust. He does great things on the pitch. But the coach Van Gaal was a bad man. Our relationship was crushed.

Ribery suggests this "was a burden" and that Juventus, Chelsea and Manchester City tried to compete with the aforementioned Spanish giants for his signature. Bayern fans will be glad the French international stayed, as he has played a pivotal role in the club's recent success. In fact, since signing with Bayern in 2007, Ribery has averaged an incredible two trophies per season.

He is a clever player, someone who uses sharp movement and the runs of his team-mates to stretch play. Ribery's close control and passing ability make him difficult to contain, much like team-mate Arjen Robben on the opposite flank. He is explosive when needed and capable of scoring stunning goals, as seen below:

For what it's worth, Van Gaal won three trophies in two years with Bayern, but these weren't Ribery's best seasons with the club. He scored 11 Bundesliga goals between 2009 and 2011, eclipsing this total in the first campaign after the Dutch manager's exit, per WhoScored.com.

Interestingly, former Bayern striker Luca Toni previously noted Van Gaal didn't bow to big names, per Tancredi Palmeri of beIN Sports:

Van Gaal's reputation is that of a fierce man-manager, someone who puts the team's overall effectiveness ahead of individual stars. We've seen this during his debut year with United, with Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao regularly consigned to the bench.

He gave youngsters James Wilson, Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair chances to establish themselves earlier in the campaign, judging everyone aside from captain Wayne Rooney on equal footing. Di Maria has responded well with two assists in his last two appearances from the bench, but it's obvious why this style could be frustrating to world-class individuals.

Former Bayern sporting director Christian Nerlinger previously summarised his thoughts on Van Gaal: "He must realise that in this club, there are other people who are also responsible for sporting matters," per Adam Bate of Sky Sports.

United fans are unlikely to worry about Van Gaal's style right now. The club are within grasp of a Champions League place after finishing seventh last year. They need to win three and draw two of their remaining six Premier League matches to guarantee this spot, presuming fifth-placed Liverpool win all their matches and enforce an 18-goal swing in the process.

Although individual stars haven't received the playing time they would have expected under the former Netherlands coach, Van Gaal's methods are finally getting results for the English club.