Ribery approves of Bayern stars Sane and Gnabry's nickname 'Sanabry' as new era kicks off

Before finding a retirement home in Fiorentina, Italy, Franck Ribery dazzled in Germany with Bayern Munich, spending 12 seasons at the Allianz Arena, forming a deadly combination with teammate Arjen Robben. The duo soon earned the moniker 'Robbery' and were an instrumental part of their 2013 treble-winning season and their subsequent Bundesliga dominance. While it has been more than 12 months since both Ribery and Robben have left the club, Bayern Munich have swiftly moved to replace them with 'Sanabry'. 

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Franck Ribery backs 'Sanabry' to be successful at Bayern Munich 

Bayern Munich dazzled one and all in the Champions League and added further firepower in the name of Leroy Sane. Sane, along with fellow winger Serge Gnabry, have been tipped to replicate the successes of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, and comparisons had already begun before their Bundesliga opener. Both Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry combined beautifully, as Bayern Munich ruthlessly hammered goals past Schalke's hapless defence. 

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The German national team stars scored four goals, with the Gnabry scoring a hat-trick, while the former Man City star assisted two of his three goals. The duo's performance earned them the moniker 'Sanabry' much like how Ribery and Robben earned when the two players combined for the first time in 2009. The Dutch winger who arrived from Real Madrid, scored twice on his debut, with the Frenchman assisting both his goals, marking the start of a decade of dominance. While the 'Sanabry' duo still have a long way to go in match Ribery and Robben, the early signs are very encouraging for Bayern Munich. 

In fact, the 'Sanabry' nickname has also been approved by the former French international according to Bild. The German newspaper reports that Ribery took to WhatsApp and lavished his praises for both Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry, typing 'Sanabry' followed by the flexing bicep emoji. When quizzed whether the duo could replicate their success, Ribery said that he trusts the two of them to shape a similarly successful era. The 37-year-old added that he was happy for the Bayern Munich duo, and hopes that together they realise their potential, as his heart still beats for the Bavarian giants.

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Comparisons with the iconic duo grew after a change of shirt numbers at Bayern Munich. With Phillipe Coutinho and Thiago having left Allianz Arena, new signing Leroy Sane took the No.10, while Ganbry adopted the No.7 on his back. The 'Robbery' era saw Ribery wear No.7, while Robben donned the No.10 on his back. After their win over Schalke, Leroy Sane downplayed the comparisons to Ribery and Robben and added that he and Gnabry had only played one game together so far.

The former Man City star said that 'Robbery' stamped their mark on the club with a world-class decade and 'Sanabry' has a long way to go. Robbery won 17 Bundesliga titles between them, including the 2013 Champions League title. 

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(Image Courtesy: Champions League Twitter, Bayern Munich Instagram)