Arjen Robben (36) chose to put his football shoes on the shelf after last season. By then the Dutchman had spent the last ten seasons in Bayern Munich. Now he’s making a comeback where it all started.
The 36-year-old was brought to the Groning Academy when he was twelve years old, after which he visited the clubs PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. The edge player also played 96 games for the Dutch national team.
– I was twelve years old when I came to the Groningen Academy. I debuted against Feyenoord when I was 16. Two years later I moved on to PSV and after an adventure that lasted 18 years I come home. Home to Groningen, Robben says in an interview posted by the club on Twitter.
To say the least, the CV for the lightning fast edge player is impressive. Two Premier League titles, one La Liga title, eight Bundesliga titles, five German Cup golds, a Champions League trophy, and a second place in the World Cup.
FC Groningen was in 9th place when the Eredivisie was terminated due to the corona virus. Previously, the Norwegians Erik Nevland, Alexander Sørloth and Ruben Yttergård Jenssen have played for the club.
It also has Luis Suárez, Virgil van Dijk and Dušan Tadić. The club is also the childhood club of brothers Ronald and Erwin Koeman.
No promise of gambling
– We are coming home during this tough crisis period. The crisis has also hit Groningen. It is beautiful to see everyone who supports the club. I also supported the club, it made me think about what else I could do for them, he says.
After 201 Bundesliga matches for Bayern Munich, the Dutchman in the German Grand Club was finally over. He is now investing everything to be ready for the start of the 2020-2021 season.
– I can’t guarantee I’ll be on the field. But what I can assure everyone is that my motivation is 100 percent. It will be a tough physical challenge, but I will give it all to make it happen. I will train hard and when I feel ready I will join the first team workouts. My dream is to play in the Groningen suit again, we are not quite there yet, but it is allowed to dream, the 36-year-old concludes.
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