Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben is a Dutch professional football winger for Eredivisie Club Groningen. He’s known for his dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long-range shots. Arjen is regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of the best wingers in the world in his prime.
Arjen first came to prominence with FC Groningen, for whom he was Player of the Year for the 2000–2001 Eredivisie season. Two years later he signed for PSV Eindhoven, where he became The Netherlands Young Player of the Year and won an Eredivisie title. The following season, Arjen’s signature was pursued by leading clubs, and after protracted transfer negotiations he joined Chelsea in 2004. His Chelsea debut was delayed through injury, but upon returning to fitness, he helped Chelsea bring home two consecutive Premier League titles, and was Premier League Player of the Month in November 2005. After a third season in England that was punctuated by injury, Arjen signed for Real Madrid in 2007.
In August 2009, Arjen transferred to Bayern Munich. In Germany he won 20 trophies, including eight Bundesliga titles and five DFB Pokals. During his long spell at Bayern, Arjen was also known for his fruitful partnership with fellow winger Franck Ribéry – together they were affectionately referred to by the nickname ‘Robbery’.
Arjen appeared in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final which The Netherlands lost to Spain. He has played in 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 in the All-Star Team.
On 10 October 2017, Arjen retired from international football as a player for the Dutch National Team after the team’s unsuccessful 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. He collected 96 caps between 2003 and 2017 for the Oranje and scored 37 goals. Arjen continued playing for Bayern Munich for 2 years.
On 4 July 2019, Arjen announced his decision to retire from football. However, on 27 June 2020, Arjen announced his return to the game by signing with FC Groningen, the club he started his career with, in an effort to help the team recover from COVID-19 setbacks.
Arjen married Bernadien Eillert on 9 June 2007 in Groningen. The two met at high school at the Kamerlingh Onnes and have two sons, Luka (born 2008) and Kai (born 2012), and a daughter, Lynn (born 2010).
