Franck Ribery’s knee injury has flared up again and the problem could not have come at a worse time for Bayern Munich.

Ribery picked up the injury in pre-season training at the height of Real Madrid’s efforts to sign him.

He has played only a handful of matches, his last three weeks ago, and now he is out again, for at least a month, maybe more. He will likely miss France’s World Cup qualification play-off against Ireland and by the time he returns for Bayern there won’t be many matches left before the long mid-season break.

This raises the question: does anyone at Bayern regret not selling the player to Real?

They could certainly have done without another injury saga. Frustrated 30-million-euro striker Mario Gomez has been relegated to the bench, Dutchman Arjen Robben and Mark van Bommel are only just recovering from injury, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk is reportedly unhappy in Munich and emotions seem to be running high after Thomas Mueller and Daniel van Buyten were both sent off in the Champions League defeat by Bordeaux this week.

It is not the start coach Louis van Gaal had envisaged. So would they they have been better off with Ribery sold to Real and many millions in the bank?

PHOTO: Bayern Munich’s midfielder Franck Ribery reacts during the Champions League game against Juventus in Munich September 30, 2009. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Arjen Robben arrived in Munich and passed a medical exam on Friday, scored two goals after coming on in the second half with his new teammate Franck Ribery on Saturday, and then left his new home town on Monday to meet up with the Dutch international team in Enschede.

It was a remarkable weekend trip to the Bavarian capital. In just 27 minutes Robben and Ribery — Munich’s new dynamic duo quickly dubbed “Robery” by German headline writers — combined for two spectacular goals to lead Bayern to their first win of the season, 3-0 against defending champions VfL Wolfsburg.

“Robery” managed to dissipate the gloom surrounding the success-spoiled Bayern fans in just 27 minutes following the agony of their month-long “Fehlstart” — just two points from their first three matches in August and an incredible 16th place in the table before Robben arrived.

“I couldn’t have wished for a better start,” said Robben, who also rejuvenated Ribery after months of controversy over his apparent efforts to get a transfer to Real Madrid. “I’ve haven’t scored two goals in many matches before and never in my first match. But this is just the start. I came here to win matches and titles.”

Bild newspaper columnist Franz Josef Wagner usually writes about German politics. But he couldn’t resist devoting his page 2 column in Germany’s best-selling daily on Monday to Robben: “We’ve seen football the way Mozart or Rembrandt would have it played… What wonderful choreography with Ribery. Full-risk football, courageous football. Arjen Robben is worth every cent of the 24 million euros Bayern paid. Three cheers for Uli Hoeness. He’s invested the money in an artist and not a thug.”

PHOTO: Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery celebrate during Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga victory over VfL Wolfsburg, August 29, 2009. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

If reports in Spain are correct and Real Madrid have agreed to sell Arjen Robben to Bayern Munich for 25 million euros, that would seem to be an excellent piece of business for the Spanish club.

Real paid a king’s ransom to take Robben from Chelsea a couple of years ago — when £24 million pounds was a lot more in euros than it is now — and I think it’s fair to say that he didn’t quite make the impact the fans were hoping for.

Injuries have been a consistent problem, just as they were at Chelsea, and I’m sure Real will be delighted to recoup another chunk of the 250 million euros they’ve spent on players so far this close season.

With Wesley Sneijder also on his way, for perhaps 15 million euros, it’s been a lucrative week for Real, but there are plenty of doubers out there (see The Real Liga for a flavour).

As the linked article notes, having players like Robben and Wesley Sneijder to turn to as substitutes might make the difference between getting through that tight Champions League game and making another early exit.

Real have made huge improvements to their first team by signing footballing royalty like Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka … but, as in Florentino’s first spell as president, will they end up regretting the decision to cull the ‘middle classes’?

PHOTO: Arjen Robben reacts after missing a chance during Real Madrid’s Peace Cup match against Al Ittihad at the Bernabeu, July 26, 2009. REUTERS/Juan Medina

Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery is a joy to watch. His acceleration, ball control and creative play have quickly elevated him to the Bundesliga’s biggest asset.

But come next week the Frenchman could be gone as the pulling power quickly fizzles out of the German league.

Werder Bremen’s Diego has already left for Juventus. Hertha Berlin strikers Andriy Voronin and Marko Pantelic have said goodbye to their fans and Wolfsburg’s Edin Dzeko also looks set to leave.

The potential departure of Ribery, rumoured to be close to a deal with Chelsea, Real Madrid and every other major European club while his wife is reportedly looking for a house in Barcelona, largely depends on him.

Despite a contract to 2011, if Ribery decided he wanted to move on there would be little stopping him, even with a 50-60 million price tag. Ribery happens to be one of these players who can turn a match around and few teams would hesitate to come up with the cash.

Bayern have said he is not on the market, but this looks more like a feeble attempt to ward off any predators. Bayern manager Uli Hoeness then said this week he would not even pick up the phone if the figure was around 40 million euros. But somehow neither Hoeness nor general director Karl-Heinz Rumenigge have ruled out he could indeed go.

Bayern have tried to keep Ribery happy during a troubled season. They did finally secure second spot winning automatic qualification for the Champions League, which seemed to be a minimum requirement for the gifted French playmaker to stay on.

Then they dished out about 30 million euros for Stuttgart’s Mario Gomez and hinted another big name could come after consultation with new coach Louis van Gaal. Ribery had long said the team needed strengthening and now the club is coming through.

Then there are the fans. Adored in Munich like no other, it is unlikely that he will find a major European club where he will enjoy the kind of superstar status only he enjoys in Bavaria.

Bayern may be kind to Ribery now. They could be equally ruthless though if the right buyer came along. With Hoeness planning to become club president in the new year, the business-minded manager, who has long said the credit crunch is going to bite even deeper, would be delighted to take over with an injection of 50 or 60 million in cash.

New signigns Anatoliy Timoschuk, Ivica Olic, Alexander Baumjohann and Gomez will also keep them competitive even without Ribery.

PHOTO: Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery celebrates his goal after scoring against Bayer Leverkusen during their German first division Bundesliga soccer match in Munich, May 12, 2009. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

It says more about the value of the pound than it does the value of Franck Ribery that the sum United are supposed to be prepared to pay for him is so high — 63 million pounds, if there’s anything to the story in this morning’s Guardian.

That sum is a shade over 70 million euros, which is a slightly less ridiculous amount than the 100 million euros it would have been a year or two ago but is still, of course, vastly overinflated.

Ribery is a remarkable player — so quick and direct with the ball at his feet that he looked in an altogether different class when he arrived in the Bundesliga in 2007.

I’m sure he’d be menacing in the Premier League as well — Albert Riera is considered to have had a decent first season so heaven knows what sort of plaudits Ribery could expect.

But would he be capable of filling the boots of Cristiano Ronaldo, if United are indeed considering selling the Portuguese winger and replacing him with the Frenchman?

I’d back him to embarrass the weaker defences, to win free kicks against everyone and to shrug off the weight of the price tag quite easily. But could he contribute as many goals as Ronaldo? Would he be so effective in the Champions League? Would he provide the same value to the Untied brand?

Signing Ribery would work well for United in another sense, in that it would stop him moving to Barcelona or Real Madrid.

A while back the Spanish sports press seemed convinced that Barcelona were about to sign him and it’s easy to see why Barca would want one of the few players around as technically gifted as the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. Ribery could slot straight in on the left of that attacking trio, in place of Henry, or take a freer role behind the centre-forward.

Then again, Florentino Perez is said to be interested in doing a deal for Ribery to boost his bid for another shot at the Real Madrid presidency.

Anyway, if United’s reported intent is genuine, the money being talked about would surely rule anyone else out. Neutrals in England may feel that Ribery would be a better fit at Arsenal, but at 60-odd million quid, that’s not going to happen.

Would Bayern be prepared to let him go? His departure would be a painful blow to the Bundesliga, just when the league is enjoying a boom, but Bayern are nothing if not pragmatic and trebling the 25 million euros they paid for him a couple of years ago would allow for a major rebuilding job for their new coach. Arjen Robben, Diego or Rafael van der Vaart, a couple of defenders and a new centre forward could all be theirs for that sort of money…

PHOTO: Franck Ribery watches Bayern’s Bundesliga match against Borussia Moenchengladbach from the tribune in Munich, May 2, 2009. REUTERS/Alexandra Beier

What a Bundesliga season! Exciting, fast-paced and at least five teams in the running for the title and believe it or not, Bayern are not top of the table.

But next season may be very different. Many of the league’s top players who have carried their teams into title contention could leave at the end of the campaign.

Hertha Berlin strikers Andriy Voronin and Marko Pantelic have fired their team to the top but are on their way out.

Voronin, who has scored eight goals in the past six matches, is on loan from Liverpool and with Hertha’s budget shrinking for next season, the more goals he scores the more difficult it will be for them to keep him. Only a Champions League spot could help finance his stay.

Pantelic, with six goals, looks even more certain to leave after recovering from injury but then being left on the bench for the past two matches as strained ties with club and coach continue.

Surprise package Wolfsburg, four points behind, could see strikers Grafite and Edin Dzeko, who have scored a combined total of 30 league goals, packing their bags with several English clubs reportedly circling for the pair.

Speculation about whether Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery will stay has been growing and much is riding on a Champions League berth for next season.

Werder Bremen, who are through to the last 16 in the UEFA Cup after ousting AC Milan, could lose their own pillars in midfield and attack.

Brazilian Diego, among the league’s most exciting and gifted players, looks poised to move to a bigger European club with media reports suggesting Juventus are his preference. Peruvian Claudio Pizarro, on loan from Chelsea, is also unlikely to stay despite his 12 league goals.

Werder are hesitant about buying him because of an ongoing investigation into his co-ownership of a management firm embroiled in a financial affair that led to the resignation of Werder’s chairman.

By the time next season starts, the Bundesliga could look a lot poorer in terms of talent.

There’s a knack to spending large amounts of money, and Manchester City just haven’t got it, have they?

The names mentioned by the media as City’s current transfer targets represent a lack of imagination reminiscent of the post-title winning days at Blackburn Rovers, when Jack Walker’s millions were spent on players like Lars Bohinen, Billy McKinlay and Garry Flitcroft in a futile bid to build a team capable of challenging for the Champions League. 

It might sound harsh to describe Scott Parker, Roque Santa Cruz and the like as mediocre but in international terms that’s exactly what they are. Craig Bellamy and Matthew Upson have also been mentioned to add to the Roll Call of the Quite Good. Who next? Jermaine Pennant? Stewart Downing? Wayne Bridge? What was that? Well, there you go…

If you had, basically, all the money in the world to spend, which players would you go after? Would you set your sights on the likes of Parker, talented but with no real track record of achievement, just because they were easily attainable, or would you set your sights a bit higher? (more…)

The question of whether such-and-such a player is the world’s best tends to generate more heat than light, and a great many superlatives directed at Cristiano Ronaldo.

So, let me phrase this as carefully as I can: Just at the moment, is Franck Ribery the most influential player in Europe?

Ribery’s return to fitness, after his ankle ligament injury at Euro 2008, has coincided with Bayern Munich’s return to form, and of course, it’s no coincidence at all.

Juergen Klinsmann found his first couple of months as Bayern coach very difficult, as teams discovered they no longer had to treat the Ribery-less champions with quite such respect.

The Frenchman returned to the team with a tentative 45-minute run-out in a 1-0 defeat in Hanover. He looked a little more comfortable in the subsequent 3-3 draw with Bochum and sparked a memorable comeback with his first goal against Wolfsburg on Oct. 25.

His form has been improving ever since and he made it four goals in four games with a jaw-dropping winner in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Schalke.

He contributed far more than just another goal, though, as his beguiling balance and control threatened danger every time he took the ball forward, and at times made fools of Schalke defenders.

With Ribery in this form, Bayern are a team transformed. Rivals can’t afford to press too far forward against them for fear of being slaughtered on the counter-attack. It makes Bayern’s defence look much more comfortable (as much as they can be in front of a goalkeeper who does not catch crosses).

There may be more gifted players than Ribery, and, yes, Ronaldo springs to mind, but I’m not sure there’s a single player who makes so much difference to a league title race.

Messi in Spain? Certainly influential, but you get the feeling Barcelona could survive pretty well without him. Benzema at Lyon? Perhaps. But is there anyone else head and shoulders above the rest of their league? As always, let us know in the comments.

After Manchester United beat Chelsea to the Premier League title, the Londoners hit back by signing Porto’s Jose Bosingwa in the first big transfer of the close season (although he can’t play in next Wednesday’s Champions League final obviously).

Vlog on the pitch regulars Owen Wyatt and Jon Bramley are joined by Tony Donovan to discuss last weekend’s final day of the English league season and look ahead to what could be the main transfers in the summer window.

Berbatov to United or Chelsea? Anelka on the move again? What about David Villa coming to England?

Let us know your thoughts. Leave comments below or make your own video, load it up to youtube or wherever tagged “vlog on the pitch” and if we like it, we’ll put it up here.

The German-language speaking skills of Italy’s Luca Toni and France’s Franck Ribery have suddenly become a bit of an obsession in the German media (I mentioned Toni’s one-word vocabulary last week).

There was a great quote from Toni a few days later explaining just how little work they do in the two language classes they have per week alongside their Argentine colleague Jose Ernesto Sosa.

“It’s a lot of fun because the teacher tries to explain something to us and we each answer in our own way,” Toni was quoted as saying in an interview with Tuttosport. “Me with an Italian accent, Ribery with a French accent and Sosa with an Argentine accent. We laugh a lot but at the end of the day we don’t learn much.”

Rarely have players made such light of communication difficulties as Ribery and Toni. The Italian scored Bayern’s first in the 2-1 Cup final win over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, converting easily after a great run and cross from the French midfielder.

Toni got the winner, too – diverting a shot from Lukas Podolski in extra-time for his 35th goal since arriving from Fiorentina last year. It was the fourth game in a row featuring two goals from Toni, who has been pushing Bayern management to sign another Italian next season so he’ll have someone to talk to.

Actually, credit where it’s due, because after the Cup final the two players gave their German-speaking debuts on local TV.

“Das ist eine Wasser,” (This is a water) Ribery said in German that was somewhat less than grammatically correct as he squirted a bottle full of water on Toni, who was in the midst of an interview (in Italian). 

Toni also showed those language lessons had not been for nothing. Asked how his German was coming along he just said: “Langsam, langsam” (slowly).

Remember, Toni was a late developer as a striker, too, so this time next year he’ll probably be fluent in ‘the awful German language’.

Erik Kirschbaum, Berlin

PHOTO: Toni and Ribery celebrate after the Italian’s second goal in Bayern’s German Cup final win over Borussia Dortmund at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, April 19, 2008. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach