Bayern Munich’s veteran winger Franck Ribery has opened up about his tough upbringing and the heartbreaking story behind his facial scars.
Abandoned by his biological parents in a convent of nuns when he was two years, Ribery was lucky to survive when a lorry collided with the car his family was travelling in.
He suffered serious facial injuries that resulted in more than one hundred stitches and which left two long scars down the right side of his face.
As he grew up in Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France, he was teased by other children because of scars on his face.
But the 34 year old has often indicated that the experience he faced as a child helped him to become the superstar he is today.
"The scar gave me the strength and character to overcome problems because when you are little and have that scar, it isn't easy to deal with it," he told Canal+.
"People would point at me, call me ugly and make fun of me. Wherever I went, people noticed my scar.
"There was criticism and looks from people. My family suffered but I never cried about it.
"I suffered because I was young and was bothered by the reactions but I never went to the corner to sulk or cry."