Arjen Robben, a legend cut short by injuries
Arjen Robben was born on 23 of January of 1984 in the Dutch city of Groningen, place where he would begin to cultivate his love for football when he started as a footballer in the Bedum of his native province. His agility and dexterity quickly caught the attention of the Football Club Groningen, who laid eyes on him and signed him to make him his first professional contract.
Little time was needed for Robben to stand out in the lower categories, and with only 16 years already debuted in first, to become one of the mainstays of the team. During this stage, scored two goals in 18 matches and PSV Eindhoven opted for his signing by paying 4 millions of euros. It is true that Arjen only had 17 years, but his speed and shot propelled him to become the future star of Dutch soccer.
The right winger played one more year on loan in his city and after scoring 10 goals in 34 meetings I arrived in Eindhoven wanting to shine. and boy did he do it. Upon his arrival he became the undisputed starter and formed a lethal forward with Keifman. An unbeatable duo that PSV fans dubbed "Batman and Robin".
in his first season, the skillful attacker scored 13 goals and was decisive in winning the league. Robben thus rose with the first title of his career and achieved his dream, debut for the Netherlands senior team.
In the following campaign he would win the Dutch Super Cup with his goal, but he would end the year without lifting more titles and beginning his particular injury ordeal. His trio of E, its explosive, energetic and electrical game caused numerous muscle problems and led to the closing of the campaign 2003/2004 with more discrete numbers.
But nevertheless, despite his physical problems, the winger was summoned by the Netherlands to play the Eurocup of 2004, where would dispute 4 matches and give away 3 assists. Further, the winger scored that historic and decisive penalty against Sweden that qualified the Netherlands for the semi-finals. A luck that he did not have in the round of 16 elimination against Portugal, where he could not participate. At that time he also had to deal with testicular cancer which luckily, surpassed.
Arjen Robben's football, premiership football
The greats of Europe were more than in love with the young Dutch promise, so Mourinho's new Chelsea did not take long to make a couple of calls and carry out his transfer by 18 millions.
Upon arrival at the London club, Robben would return to his old ways, falling injured in preseason after a brutal tackle against Roma, where both would end up beaten. in that meeting, the young winger would thus break his right metatarsal and miss the start of the season, but managed to recover to debut in November. And like a phoenix risen from its ashes, Arjen came back as if nothing, chaining goals and assists until being designated as the best player of the month in the Premier League.
When he played he was one of the best, but the injuries seemed to be taking their toll on him. In 2005 he had another broken metatarsal and could only play 29 matches in all competitions. But nevertheless, and despite his little participation, managed to score 9 so many and give 10 assists in his first season with the blues, conquering the Premier and the League Cup.
In his second season he had more continuity and was once again decisive for Chelsea to retain the league title. After the end of the year, Robben played the World Cup in Germany 2006, where did he play 3 games and scored his first goal in a World Cup. A very good first phase that would be truncated by Portugal in the round of 16 in a very close match, full of kicks and where the card record was broken. Definitely, a duel that will remain in the memory as the "Battle of Nuremberg".
On his return to England he won the FA Cup and the League Cup., but in his third season with the blues he suffered another disappointment in the Champions League. Chelsea fell for the second time in three years against Liverpool, although this time he would do it after a dramatic shootout. to older, that season he would not get rid of injuries either and was out for a month due to a problem in the meniscus.
Robben's White Stage
Arjen's football fit like a glove in the Premier, but his physique hampered his career, and it was no longer indisputable for Mourinho. But there were others who still saw that glow, so despite everything, the president of Real Madrid insisted on his signing. and it is so, as in the summer of 2007 the meringues would pay 36 million to bring it to Spain. Ramon Calderón fulfilled his electoral promise, one year late, but he fulfilled it, Y Arjen Robben closed his stage at Chelsea after winning 6 titles and marking 19 goals in 106 matches.
The winger thus begins his new stage, with some physical problems and lack of continuity, but becoming a fundamental part of the whites' league triumph.
In the summer he played a great European Championship with his national team and after a masterful first phase he suffered an untimely injury to his groin. Robben missed the tie against Russia and the Netherlands was left out of the tournament.
In his second campaign as a madridista he missed several games due to injury although when he played he was still decisive. The arrival of Juande Ramos on the white bench increased his relevance in the team by placing him on the right wing. Y, despite closing the course with 8 goals and 9 assists, Real Madrid could only win the Spanish Super Cup.
Florentino Pérez returned to the presidency to revive the club and after the signings of Kaká, Cristiano and Benzema put Robben in the transfer view. But nevertheless, the player was reluctant to leave and made an effort to make what is considered the best preseason of his career. Something that seemed not to be enough and that led him to finally sign for Bayern. The Dutchman left Spain after playing 65 meet and score 13 goals in two seasons, where he got to lose the 40% of the matches. Something similar to what the white team would experience years later with players like Hazard o Bale.
The Dutchman's notable passage through the Bundesliga
His arrival in Bavaria was at the express request of Louis Van Gaal, to which Robben fit like a piece of a perfect puzzle for his new project in the Bundesliga.
The Dutchman felt like a star at Bayern, and rightly so since together with Ribéry he completed the best season of his career. His goals and assists helped the Babados to win the national double and with his goals against Fiorentina, United and Olympique managed to qualify the Germans for the Champions League final. But nevertheless, Arjen Robben I would lose that Bernabéu final against Mourinho's Inter. A small stain that did not prevent him from closing with an almost golden brooch a historic season in which he left some impressive numbers: 23 goals in 37 matches in that season 2009-10.
The jinx of the finals broken in 2013
With 26 years he attended the World Cup in South Africa at the zenith of his career, Y, although he missed the first two games, was key to his selection. Robben led the Netherlands to the final winning all matches, and became fundamental scoring two goals against Slovakia and Uruguay.
of that world of 2010, we already know the end. The winger had the opportunity of his life against Spain, but Casillas' foot deprived him of winning for his country and Iniesta's goal ended the Dutch dream in a move that would haunt him throughout his professional career.
In 2011 the winger had many physical problems again and Bayern suffered without winning any title, at least until the next campaign, where he recovered his best level and his performances were key, once again, to reach another Champions final. But nevertheless, it was not gold that came out again to shine on the bench, and the locker room atmosphere was a powder keg.
A powder keg that ended up exploding. I would do it in the semi-final break against Real Madrid, where an argument with Ribéry led him to end up with a punch to the face. For more inri, he lost the Champions League final against Chelsea in his own stadium and extended his jinx in the finals after missing a decisive penalty that could have given victory to his team in extra time.
Definitely, the season could not have ended worse for Robben, that in the European Championship 2012 he fell in the first phase with his team. A bad streak that seemed to last until after 2 hard years without important trophies, Arjen and Bayern rebelled against their bad luck and completed a 2013 perfect. The team resurfaced, won the Cup and the Bundesliga and reached the Champions League final after endorsing a 7-0 to Barcelona.
Bayern and Dortmund would thus play the first German final in history, in which Robben he ended up being the hero after scoring the winning goal in the last minute. A goal that not only led them to raise the cup, but it would break with his jinx in the finals and it would serve him to become the protagonist of the fifth Munich European Cup.
Fullness with Guardiola
With the arrival of Guardiola to the bench, Robben reached his physical and 2014 became the year in which he completed the most matches: 45 encounters, in which I would mark 21 so many.
Bayern won a new domestic double, but he kneeled after being thrashed by Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals.
that summer of 2014, Arjen Robben played his third World Cup in Brazil and managed to take revenge on Spain by removing that little thorn from 2010 by scoring two goals against Casillas in his debut. Netherlands thrashed like this 5-1 to the current world champion and came back against Mexico in the round of 16 with a controversial penalty on Robben who is still kicking in the Aztec country. after that, lost on penalties against Argentina, but he got the bronze medal after thrashing 3 a 0 to the hosts.
After another great world, continued to score goals and lift national titles with Bayern, although the Spanish teams kept him from raising another orejona. and after this, in 2018 the Dutchman suffered one of the great disappointments of his career by not being able to qualify his country for the World Cup in Russia and after that failure he closed a brilliant international stage in which he recorded 37 goals Y 14 assists with the Netherlands.
The infirmary ends up taking football away from him
Robben noticed that his speed was no longer the same and, after another string of injuries in 2019, announced his retirement from football. After 10 years in the Bavarian team, Robben was leaving Munich with 8 Bundesliga, 5 cups, 5 Super Cups, 1 European Super Cup Y 1 Champions League. Some impressive numbers that are rounded with the 144 goals Y 101 assists in 308 matches that the Dutchman played with the German team.
One of the most charismatic players of the decade had left, but his love for football made him reconsider his decision. after leaving, realized that he needed to play to remain happy and the summer of 2020 would bring us a gift: Robben would put on his boots again.
He signed like this for Groningen. A contract that allowed him to return to his origins and fall in love with football, but the damn injuries prevented him from playing continuously. Throughout the season he only played 7 matches, something that led him to rethink the situation, deal with your physical problems, and just as it came, he went away, announcing its final withdrawal last 2021.
Arjen Robben's numbers as a professional
throughout his career framework 246 goals in 709 games he played. A professional life full of lights and shadows due to the injuries that he carried and that led him to, adding up your sick days, be 4 of the 19 years of her career in nursing. Some numbers that show nothing more and nothing less than to forge a legend, quantity has nothing to do with quality.
