Robben Arjen
Arjen Robben is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger for the Dutch National team. He is known for his dribbling skills, speed, ball control, and his long-range shots. Robben is regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of the best wingers in the world. 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. 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 2005. 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. In his first season in Munich, Bayern won the league title, Robben’s fifth league title in eight years, and 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. In Germany, he won 20 trophies, including eight Bundesliga titles and five DFB Pokals. During his long spell 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. Robben appeared in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final, which the Netherlands lost to Spain. He has appeared at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Championships, and the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. In the latter, he won the Bronze Ball and was named to the All-Star Team.
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In April 2003, Robben made his Netherlands international debut in a friendly match against Portugal at age 19. Robben’s first participation at an international tournament came at UEFA Euro 2004 when manager Dick Advocaat called up younger players, such as Wesley Sneijder and John Heitinga. During the group stage of the tournament, Advocaat substituted Robben in the 66th minute to defend a 2–1 lead over the Czech Republic. The Czechs, however, then scored two goals and won 3–2, which led to criticism about Advocaat’s decision. In the quarter-finals, Robben scored the deciding kick in the penalty shootout between the Netherlands and Sweden, which ensured that at the fifth attempt, the Dutch finally won a shootout.
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Throughout most of his career, Robben has been regarded as one of the best wingers in the world, with ESPN stating he is “able to take on and beat defenders at the drop of a hat, Robben’s ability to get to the byline and deliver in accurate crosses instils fear into any defence”. Usually deployed on the right wing, Robben often cuts inside on his left foot to move to a more central attacking position, and uses his speed and dribbling skills to take on defenders until he finds the space to make an attempt on goal. He is predominantly a left-footed player. During a match he will often drift to the left wing, with his teammate, in the case of Bayern Munich, Franck Ribéry, switching over to the right. Another factor in his playing style is his relationship with the right-fullback. At Bayern, this partnership with Philipp Lahm has had benefits for the team’s efficiency and chemistry. Robben’s defensive work improved when he went to Bayern where he often tracks back and covers for his partner when he pushes forward and becomes a temporary right back. Robben has been often accused of diving, and he has at times openly admitted to the charges. In December 2011, Robben apologised for a dive against VfL Bochum in a DFB-Pokal match which earned him a yellow card, saying, “I must not do things like this.” In July 2014, Robben admitted to diving in the first half of Netherlands’ match against Mexico in the last 16 round of the 2014 World Cup, but maintained that he had not dived for the decisive penalty he won in stoppage time which Netherlands converted to win 2–1. Following the incident, Robben’s former manager at Chelsea, José Mourinho, said that Robben’s speed and creativity cause opponents who cannot stop him to foul him, but “sometimes [Robben] tries to get an advantage, or to get a penalty”. Robben married his girlfriend Bernadien Eillert on 9 June 2007 in Groningen. The two met while in high school in the city, at the Kamerlingh Onnes, and have two sons, Luka (born 2008) and Kai (born 2012) and a daughter, Lynn (born 2010). Robben’s father, Hans, works as his agent. The circumstances of Arjen and Bernadien’s first meeting have been reported by his former youth coach, Barend Beltman: “Arjen was driven and determined at a young age. He was always on time, never late. But one Friday afternoon he showed up 15 minutes past the start of practice. I asked him what was going on. ‘We were at the market square, having fun,’ he said. There were some girls with him and his friends, so I asked, ‘Was she worth it?’ ‘Yes, trainer, she was,’ he told me. I told him to get his gear and join the training session. At his wedding, I heard the woman he met that day was now his wife and mother of his children. Bernadien is her name.” Robben has a sponsorship deal with German sportswear and equipment supplier Adidas.[160] Robben features in EA Sports’ FIFA video game series, and was the third-highest-rated player in FIFA 15.
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Robben was later named man of the match on 23 December 2006 against Wigan Athletic, a match where he got two assists and the winning goal. Robben was inflicted with yet another injury in a match against Liverpool on 20 January 2007. Robben made his return in a 3–0 victory against Middlesbrough in February, driving in a shot that took a deflection past Mark Schwarzer for an own goal by Abel Xavier. He came on as a substitute for Claude Makélélé in the 2007 League Cup final against Arsenal and set up the winning goal for Didier Drogba. Robben scored a goal in the second round of the Champions League against Porto, which led to Chelsea winning the tie 3–2 on aggregate. At the end of March 2007, Robben underwent a knee operation after sustaining a knee injury upon returning from international duty that was expected to rule him out for at least four weeks.[28] He only made two further appearances for Chelsea, both of which were as a substitute and both of which would prove to be key games for the club. His first appearance since returning from injury was against Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final second leg which went to penalties. Robben went on to have his penalty saved by Pepe Reina, and Chelsea ultimately lost. Robben’s final appearance for the club came against Manchester United in the 2007 FA Cup Final. Robben replaced Joe Cole at half-time, but was then substituted himself for Ashley Cole in extra time as Chelsea emerged victorious. Spanish club Real Madrid were interested in two of Chelsea’s players. Then manager Bernd Schuster is said to have demanded Michael Ballack, while Real Madrid’s then president Ramón Calderón was known to favour Robben. Robben said to reporters of Spanish newspaper AS, “I do not know when a deal will be reached. I would like to send a message to the Madrid fans, but I can’t until my future is sorted.” Real Madrid eventually secured Robben’s services in August 2007. He told Chelsea’s official club website: “It was difficult to leave because I had a great time in my three years at Chelsea and I made a lot of friends. There was no time to say goodbye because the deal was closed on the Wednesday at 10 o’clock in the evening and the following morning I had to fly. If I have one day off I would want to come back and say goodbye because to the fans I owe a big thank you because they were always good to me. In my three years I won all the prizes there are to win in England”.