Considered a hugely talented journeyman who could not settle down until a career defining move to FC Bayern München, Arjen Robben, born January 23, 1984, will look to banish the memories of the finale of the 2010 World Cup. The Bayern München winger hails from the Netherlands; his talents were noticed when he starred for Groningen in 2000-2001. A move to PSV followed. Short stints at Chelsea and Real Madrid afterwards were successful ones; however, Robben seemed to have more to give to the game. Finally, his current coach, Louis Van Gaal, brought him to Bayern in the 2009-10 season. Five seasons on, Robben remains with the German giants.
The 30 year old winger is considered to be amongst the elite when it comes to his abilities. He cuts inside from the right wing and shoots towards goal with his left foot from distance multiple times in a match. While every opposing team knows exactly what he is about to do, few can stop him. His speed, despite his age, has not diminished. Robben and his team mate Franck Ribery have come to characterize Bayern's play in recent years. He scored three goals for the Netherlands in their qualifying matches; overall, his performances were very good. He can play as a striker as well but mostly tends to play on the right wing, switching to the left or to the hole behind the striker from time to time during matches.
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Robben has collected numerous awards in his career; however, the one he most cherishes is perhaps the Man of the Match award in the UEFA Champions League finale of 2013. Robben scored the winner in the 89th minute to earn Bayern their first European Cup in 12 years. He has won the treble with Bayern. He has virtually won every award on club level, including three Bundesliga titles, three German Cups, a UEFA Champions League title, a UEFA Supercup title, a FIFA Club World Cup title, two Premier League titles and an FA Cup title. On an individual level, he won the German Player of the Year Award in 2010.
In the previous season, Robben won his third double with Bayern. He pulled the side through the latter half of the season after injuries and tactical problems saw them completely lose form between March and May. He recently scored the first of Bayern's two goals in the DFB Pokal final against Dortmund. He notched 11 goals in the Bundesliga and was Bayern's best player in the latter rounds of the UEFA Champions League. He has truly had a great season under a coach who many thought the Dutchman would have many disagreements with in Pep Guardiola. Robben is in his best form ahead of the World Cup without a shadow of a doubt.
Did you know?
Arjen Robben missed two season defining penalties in 2012; his miss against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League finale in 2012 succeeded a miss in the Bundesliga decider against Borussia Dortmund.
Robben, not quite known for being the friendliest player, was punched by Franck Ribery at half time during Bayern's UEFA Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid in the 2011-12 season in the first leg, a match Bayern claimed 2-1.
Following his famous UEFA Champions League goal against Manchester United in 2009-10, Robben attempted the same trick in training with Bayern. Needless to say, the shot went high and wide.
