Ribery backs Guardiola to be 'great'

By FOX Sports Staff

Guardiola is currently on a sabbatical from football after a successful four-year stint with Barcelona. The Spaniard was linked with several top clubs like Chelsea, AC Milan and Manchester United but it was revealed earlier in January that he would be joining Bayern Munich in the summer.

Ribery believes that the move proves that Bayern are big enough to attract top talents in football and backed Guardiola to build on his successful career in Germany.

He told radio station RMC: "I talked to Abidal about Guardiola. He is a great coach. We've seen him at Barca. I think we can do something with him. We can do great things with him.

"He knows the club, he trained here. He can do great things with different players. Anyway that proves that Bayern is a great club. Bayern can make anybody come and people know it."

Ribery himself was highly sought after but expressed no regrets in staying at Bayern Munich.

He added: "Three years ago I had all the greats following me. There was Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea. That was flattering, but I think I was right to have stayed. I think more and more about retiring here."

Bayern are currently cruising in the Bundesliga with an 11-point lead over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen and can afford to turn their focus to the Champions League, where they will face Arsenal in February. Ribery indicated that despite Arsenal not being at their best, they are still a difficult opponent.

The 29-year-old said: "Bayern didn't have an easy draw in Champions League. Even if Arsenal are not at the top in the league right now, they are still a great team and they can still play well."