Ribery welcomed by thousands of Fiorentina fans

Firenze, August 24: Franck Ribery received a hero's welcome at his Fiorentina presentation.

The former France winger has joined La Viola on a reported two-year deal after ending a trophy-laden spell with Bayern Munich.

Ribery is not expected to be involved when Fiorentina kick off the new Serie A season at home to Napoli on Saturday.

"I am not ready to start, but I am happy that I got to train with the squad today, which is very different to training by yourself," he added.

"I need a week or two to be ready to play, but if the coach [Vincenzo Montella] tells me that I'm needed, I will step up."

But thousands of the club's supporters gave Ribery a hint of the backing he can expect to receive.

Ribery walked out on to the Stadio Artemio Franchi field to 'Eye of the Tiger' before performing the usual array of kick-ups for the crowd.

The 36-year-old is the headline arrival for Vincenzo Montella's side, who finished 16th in Serie A last term.

🎙👍🏼👌🏼 #fr7 #ForzaViola #EsteÈFirenze pic.twitter.com/CX9UiXS4C3

— Franck Ribéry (@FranckRibery) August 22, 2019

And Ribery, who plans to follow in the footsteps of Serie A veterans such as Francesco Totti, is aiming to lead Fiorentina back into the Champions League.

"We have had a very long negotiation, but I am very happy to be here in Florence," said the 36-year-old.

1️⃣. training with my new team. ✅ #ForzaViola #QuestaÈFirenze pic.twitter.com/yK5dmNxpa7

— Franck Ribéry (@FranckRibery) August 22, 2019

"I saw great motivation and great confidence in me from the management, and that is why I am here. Naturally, my wife also helped in the choice, because my family is very important.

"I am very motivated, I always want to play. I have a two-year contract and I want to be decisive and help the young players. I want to give something new to this club, I want to bring Fiorentina into the top three of the table.

"I came here to help my team, which is Fiorentina. I am not here to be a rival to Ronaldo. Serie A is a great tournament with many excellent players. Inter bought well on the market, as did Juventus.

"The thing I appreciate the most is that people here love and live for football. It's a wonderful experience and I want to enjoy myself on the field.

"Football is my life. It's the reason I wanted to remain in Europe and I was fortunate to find Fiorentina. I hope to continue playing until the age of 40, just like Francesco Totti."