July 15, (THEWILL) – Left-footed pacy Dutchman, Arjen Robben, has called time on his glittering football career by finally retiring from football. The 37-year-old forward, who starred brilliantly for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and at one time for the English Premier League side Chelsea, leaves the stage on the grounds where it began.
After turning back from a decision to retire in 2019 after his final season at Bayern, he returned to Groningen, the very club where he initially began his career the next year. The grateful Eredivisie outfit reportedly offered the winger the chance to sign a fresh one-year deal earlier this summer but his decision shows he walked away from that offer.
The fact of his injury-prone 2020-21 campaign may have played a part in the final decision of the footballer as age crept up on his natural ability to quickly return from injuries and the standard pace that characterised his play being impacted as well.
The news of his retirement was confirmed by the player himself who put out the message via an official statement on his social media accounts. It read: “Dear football friends, I have decided to stop my active football career.
“A very difficult choice. I want to thank everyone for all the heartwarming support!
“Regards, Arjen.”
It brings an end to a chapter of the Dutch team and a section of football history. Robben broke onto the senior stage at his boyhood club, Groningen, before being snapped up by PSV Eindhoven in 2002. In 2004, he switched to England with Chelsea but not before taking the Eredivisie title with Eindhoven.
Six more trophies came the way of the talented left-footer at Stamford Bridge, where he scored 19 goals in 109 appearances to help the Blues to two Premier League titles and the FA Cup. But, in 2007, he was off again to Spain where he starred for La Liga giants Real Madrid.
A transfer fee of €35 million got Real the man who helped them with winning the league and Supercopa de Espana double in his first year with the Blancos. When the expectations from the player did not match delivery the next season, he was offloaded to Germany and came to a full renewal at the Allianz Arena.
With 144 goals in 309 games, Robben was a player at his prime, enjoying the free-flowing football that took advantage of his speed and flair to secure a remarkable 20 trophies, including a maiden Champions League crown and eight Bundesliga titles in all.
This coincided with his impressive international career, that fed off the dominant style he discovered at Bayern. He scored 37 goals in 96 outings for the Netherlands, inspiring their run to the 2010 World Cup final which saw them reach the final, which they unfortunately lost to Spain by a lone goal.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
