Former Bayern Munich winger, Franck Ribery is hoping that Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane can replicate the era of ‘Robbery’ that sees both him and Arjen Robben being a thorn in the flesh of opposition defenders.
Ribery left the Bavarian club to link up with Fiorentina in the Serie A while Robben went back to Holland and join his boyhood club, Groningen.
Sane and Gnabry both put forth strong performances in Bayern Munich’s 8-0 rout in the Bundesliga opener against Schalke at the Allianz Arena. Gnabry scored a hattrick while Sane scored one. The former Manchester City winger also provided assists for 2 of Gnabry’s 3 goals.
Although it’s still really seeing the pair play up alongside Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, they’ve already been compared to Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben – famously dubbed “Robbery.”
After the departure of Thiago Alcantara to Liverpool, some of Bayern’s squad numbers have changed and Gnabry has switched from #22 to #7. Gnabry and Sane now wear the same kit numbers as Ribery and Robben (7 & 10).
Franck Ribery hoping to see SANABRY in Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry
After the win over Schalke in the opener, Ribery took to WhatsApp to praise both Sane and Gnabry by typing the message, “SANABRY” followed by the flexing bicep emoji (Bild).
When he was asked whether they are capable of replicating a similar legacy to the one’s he’s left behind with Robben, Ribery said he hopes so,
“I’m happy for both of them. I hope so! My heart still beats for Bayern. Mia san mia!,” he wrote.
Gnabry picked up where he left off in the Champions League knockouts tournament in Portugal to show his fine run of form seen as he close out the season.
Sane, who had anticipated his debut had a positive performance, especially for a player that is still working his way back to full match fitness after spending nearly a year on the sidelines with his cruciate ligament tear last summer.
Exciting debut for Sane
Speaking after the win, Sane said he was delighted with his debut and the overall team performance.
“Such a start is of course great. It felt very good to finally stand in the Allianz Arena and play football with the boys.”
Coach Hansi Flick was also pleased with how he fit so well in the squad in his debut.
“It was just nice that he was right there, directly integrated into our game.”
