Ribery: Van Gaal is a 'bad man'

Posted Wednesday, April 08, 2015 by Goal.com

EXCLUSIVE: The French winger won a league and cup double with the Dutch coach but says that their relationship was "crushed" and that they had issues on a "human level"

Franck Ribery has lifted the lid on his rocky relationship with Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal, branding the Dutchman a "bad man".

The Bayern Munich winger worked with Van Gaal while the former Netherlands national coach was in charge of the Bundesliga giants, winning a league and cup double during the 2009-10 campaign.

But Ribery told Goal that he never felt comfortable alongside the United boss and that he lost his trust in the manager, explaining: "We had problems on a human basis. 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 also revealed that his sour relationship with Van Gaal almost saw him leave the Bavarian club, with Real Madrid one of a number of outfits who attempted to sign him.

He added: "It was a burden. Many clubs tried to persuade me to change: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Chelsea, Manchester City. You start to think. I made up my mind about where my future should lie. I think that this is human."