Arjen Robben

Arjen Robben
Robben playing for Bayern Munich in 2015
Personal information
Full name Arjen Robben[1]
Date of birth (1984-01-23) 23 January 1984 (age 40)[2]
Place of birth Bedum, Netherlands
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[3]
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
1989–1996 VV Bedum
1996–2000 Groningen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2002 Groningen 46 (8)
2002–2004 PSV 56 (17)
2004–2007 Chelsea 67 (15)
2007–2009 Real Madrid 50 (11)
2009–2019 Bayern Munich 201 (99)
2020–2021 Groningen 6 (0)
Total 426 (150)
International career
1999 Netherlands U15 1 (0)
1999–2000 Netherlands U16 11 (4)
2000 Netherlands U17 3 (1)
2001–2002 Netherlands U19 8 (2)
2001–2003 Netherlands U21 8 (1)
2003–2017 Netherlands 96 (37)
Medal record
Representing  Netherlands
Men's football
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 2010 South Africa
Third place 2014 Brazil
UEFA European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Portugal
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Arjen Robben (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑrjə(n) ˈrɔbə(n)] ⓘ; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger. Robben was known for his dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long-range shots.[4][5][6] He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation.[7]

Robben first came to prominence with Groningen, for whom he was player of the year for the 2000–01 Eredivisie season. Two years later he signed for PSV, where he became the Netherlands' Young Player of the Year and won an Eredivisie title.[8] The following season Robben's signature was pursued by leading clubs, and after protracted transfer negotiations, he joined Chelsea in 2004. Robben's Chelsea debut was delayed through injury, but upon returning to fitness, he helped Chelsea bring home two consecutive Premier League titles, and was the Premier League Player of the Month in November 2004.[9][10] After a third season in England which was punctuated by injury, Robben signed for Real Madrid in a transfer worth €35 million.

In August 2009, Robben transferred to Bayern Munich for a fee of around €25 million.[11] In his first season in Munich, Bayern won the league title, Robben's fifth league title in eight years. Robben scored the winning goal in the 2013 UEFA Champions League final, being named to the Squad of the Season. In 2014, he was named to the FIFPro World XI and the UEFA Team of the Year, and fourth place in the Ballon d'Or.[12] In Germany, he won 20 trophies, including eight Bundesliga titles and five DFB Pokals. During his long tenure at Bayern, Robben was also known for his fruitful partnership with fellow winger Franck Ribéry – together they were affectionately referred to by the nickname Robbery.[13][14]

Robben started in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final, which the Netherlands lost to Spain. He also appeared at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Championships, and the 2006 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. In the latter, he won the Bronze Ball and was named to the All-Star Team.

  1. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 18 de mayo de 2008, en Madrid" [Minutes of the Match held on 18 May 2008, in Madrid] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 15 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  2. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players: Netherlands" (PDF). FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Player Profile". Bayern Munich. Archived from the original on 23 June 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  4. ^ Baum, Robert (20 April 2020). "Ranking the Top 10 Wingers of the Modern Era". SoccerGator. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  5. ^ Riaz, Adnan (22 October 2020). "Full List Of 110 Nominees For France Football's 'Ballon d'Or Dream Team' Have Been Revealed". SPORTbible. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  6. ^ Smith, Connor (8 September 2022). "14 Greatest Wingers of All Time". Soccerprime. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Ranked! The 101 greatest football players of the last 25 years: full list". FourFourTwo (253 ed.). 13 February 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  8. ^ "UEFA Champions League – Players – Robben". UEFA. Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  9. ^ "Arjen Robben". Chelsea F.C. Archived from the original on 16 June 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  10. ^ "FA Premier League Seasonal awards 2004/05". Premier League. Archived from the original on 20 June 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  11. ^ "Real cash in on Dutch duo". Sky Sports. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
  12. ^ "Arjen Robben ist Fußballer des Jahres" [Arjen Robben is Footballer of the Year] (in German). kicker Online. 8 August 2010. Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  13. ^ "Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery: An exclusive double interview with 'Robbery'". Bundesliga.com. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  14. ^ Thorogood, James (5 May 2019). "Opinion: The magic of 'Robbery' will be impossible to recreate". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 16 July 2019.