Arjen Robben: 'Netherlands need to rebuild after Euro 2016 failure'

Netherlands captain Arjen Robben has earmarked his side's friendly against Wales as a chance to start rebuilding following failure to qualify for Euro 2016.

The Oranje finished fourth in their qualifying group to miss out on either automatic qualification or a playoff berth, despite starting as top seeds. 

Robben, who has since succeeded Robin van Persie as skipper, told BBC Sport: "The only thing we can do is try and restart and rebuild. 

"It is not nice to say but we have to start again and prepare for September 2016. It is a long way off but we have to cope with that reality, get some good results out of the upcoming games." 

Netherlands last failed to qualify for a major international tournament in 2002.

Arjen Robben warns Man United's Memphis Depay "it's not always sunshine" in the Premier League

Depay moved to Manchester United from PSV Eindhoven during the summer for £25million but has failed to live up to expectations.

Arjen Robben has warned compatriot Memphis Depay that life is "not always sunshine" in the Premier League - but believes he has what it takes to succeed.

Depay moved to Manchester United from PSV Eindhoven during the summer for £25million but has failed to live up to expectations.

The 21-year-old has scored just four times in 16 games for his new club, and has been warned he needs to lead a more mature lifestyle away from the pitch by Ryan Giggs.

Depay has even lost his place int he side to Jese Lingaard of late, and recently admitted he had put on 5kg in weight since moving to England.

Bayern Munich star Robben, who spent three years with Chelsea before leaving for Real Madrid, conceded that Depay was not performing to his potential - but insisted he would be willing to offer him advice.

Compatriots: Arjen Robben says he will offer advice to Depay to help him fulfil his potential

"Of course I will give him advice," said Robben. "We try to help each other as players and the team to make steps.

"He is a talented player in a difficult situation - I can give him advice but the player has to cope with it, show strength and the right mentality. It is important in your development as a player. It is not always sunshine and you have difficult periods, especially when you are young.

"He has a long way ahead and if he shows the right mentality, the talent is there. If he keeps working hard I am sure he can succeed."

Bayern's Goetze feels the Guardiola love after winning start

Bayern Munich's Mario Goetze, who has spent much of the past two seasons on the bench, is starting to feel some love from coach Pep Guardiola after scoring in their 3-0 win at Greece's Olympiakos in the Champions League.

Germany's World Cup winner had vented his frustration over his supporting role at the champions at the start of the season and had at the time refused to commit to Bayern, instantly raising speculation about his future at the club.

Urged by club bosses to stay on and fight for a starting spot, the 23-year-old, who scored the winner in the World Cup final last year, looks to have risen to the challenge, first scoring twice in Germany's win over Poland earlier this month and netting again on Wednesday.

"I love Mario Goetze," said Guardiola. "I have said it a million times and I will say it a million times. He is a super guy and a super character with a great attitude. Everything was easier after Mario's goal. He is a top player and has enormous quality."

Guardiola, however, had again left Goetze on the bench at the start and sent him on in the 79th minute before he scored Bayern's second goal and sealed their win a minute from the end. Thomas Mueller added a third goal with a stoppage time penalty.

When asked why he again used Goetze late in the game if he was such a good player, the coach said there was just a lot of quality in the Bayern squad.

"I feel for him but if I started with Goetze you would then ask my why I don't play Thomas Mueller or why I don't play Robert Lewandowski," he said.

"There is a lot of quality so I can understand why he may be disappointed but I want the very best for Mario and am here to help him."

Things will become even more difficult for Goetze when Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery return from injury, further limiting the options of the attacking midfielder who can equally well operate as a striker.

That role, however, has been take over this season by Mueller, who scored twice on Wednesday and has netted six times in four league games as well.

But with Guardiola looking for a first Champions League crown at Bayern in his third season in charge, instilling confidence in Goetze could prove a valuable asset this season.

Bayern next host Dinamo Zagreb, who beat Arsenal 2-1 in the other Group F match, on Sept. 29. 

Bayern Munich puzzle over Guardiola, Robben and Ribery

BERLIN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- While Bayern Munich won their curtain raiser in this season' s Champions League at Greek champions Olympiacos Piraeus 3-0 (0-0) with a Thomas Mueller brace (30st goal in the Champions League) and a Mario Goetze strike, fans around the world are discussing the future of their favorite club and its protagonists.

It is not only the uncertainties surrounding Bayern coach Pep Guardiola that is keeping the fans' minds busy but also the future of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. Both missed Bayern' s Group F opener due to injury.

Replacing them this time was no problem. Bayern was in complete control despite failing to score in the first half and their problems with a strong Piraeus defense. Starting with a 3-4-3 system, Bayern dominated throughout and remained patient and fully deserved to wrap up their first three points by scoring three goals after half time.

"It was not an easy game as Piraeus is a strong side at home. Last year they have beaten teams like Manchester and Juventus. We had a hard time in the beginning, but managed to win in the end, which is a message too," Mueller said.

However a team like Piraeus isn' t the biggest challenge anyway for the Germans, who won their 12th Champions League opener. The coach and two key figures are the top topic right now. Some fans hope that when Guardiola decides to leave, it might at least have a positive effect on the team and club in that it unite them even more to serve up a happy end.

According to rumors, Bayern are working on the topic of a new coach with great intensity. So they won' t be helpless when the 44-year-old Spaniard announces his departure after three years, which is what most pundits are expecting. Guardiola keeps his future to himself and does not earn applause from everybody but Bayern' s officials are keeping silent because they want everybody to concentrate on the fourth consecutive German title and more importantly on the Champions League. To win the most important club competition is no less important for Guardiola himself as it would turn his era in Germany into an excellent one.

Only Bayern Munich legend Franz Beckenbauer has uttered any form of criticism. "You can' t shape a squad in accordance with his wishes and then he tells you at Christmas that he' s leaving," said the 1974 (as a player) and 1990 (as a coach) World Cup winner. "The best thing would be for Guardiola to announce that he is staying at Bayern. It would make things much easier," continued Beckenbauer sounding ironically optimistic without being able to deliver any new hard facts.

As things look like at the moment, the club' s management have accepted that Guardiola will set sail to new shores after this season, and until then, are happy about their coach' s intense ambitions to win the Champions League final in Milan in May 2016.

Former Bayern player Dietmar Hamann told the pay TV channel "sky" that Guardiola must be regarded as a special coach by Bayern. "They have been beaten badly twice in the Champions League. I don' t know if any other coach would have survived that. You can lose to Barca and Real but the naive way Bayern did was a shock to me," said Hamann.

If Guardiola leaves, his successor (and Bayern Munich) will not only have to deliver new titles but he will have to see in a new era or see out the last years of the present one. German media is already starting to talk about the end of the era for Franck Ribery (32) and Arjen Robben (31). Both had missed as well the semifinal last season against FC Barcelona (5-3 on aggregate).

In order not to be left "alone" again, Bayern' s bosses ironed out their error not to have a solution in place for the worst case and bought Brazilian Douglas Costa (Shakhtar Donetsk) and Frenchman Kingsley Coman (Juventus) to replace the aging stars down the flanks, should the two be unavailable.

"It is a general policy of the club to have quick men on the wings," said Bayern Director of Football Matthias Sammer. "We have to take care that we have a smooth transfer into the era after them," added Sammer.

How important Costa and Coman can be the duet showed in Piraeus. Over 45 percent of Bayern's attacks came over Costa and Coman delivered two assists.

The prognosis in Robben' s case is that he will be out of the game for a further three weeks. As for Ribery, Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said he is expecting the player to return by the end of 2015 at the latest. The French striker has been sidelined with an ankle injury since March 2015. Both Robben and Ribery have contracts until 2017 and are obviously raring to make a comeback.

Robben answered with a broad smile when asked about the end of the era of "Robbery" (Robben and Ribery). "Until we see the post-Robben era it will hopefully still take a while. It' s always a good idea to look ahead, to recognize the time when you start to wane. But I can assure you until then it will take a while in my case," said Robben. And Ribery told reporters: "When I' m fit again, I don' t have to be afraid of any new face in our squad."

Bastian Schweinsteiger – for Germany, for Man United and for himself – is out to restore order

Bastian Schweinsteiger found the journey to his 112th Germany cap unusual in many ways. His habit, over the last 11 years, had been to travel north to the German Federation’s meeting point in Frankfurt, sometimes by train from Bavaria. This time, he was crossing borders, going through passport control. It is still a novelty for the midfielder to think of himself as an overseas-based player.

There were compensations for the longer trip home, he joked to reporters ahead of Friday night’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Poland. “At least I didn’t have Thomas Muller sitting next to me, jabbering on,” Schweinsteiger smiled.

Muller is one of only four Bayern Munich players in the world champions’ latest squad, which seems a thin spread, given how heavily the dominant club team in the Bundesliga has influenced the rise of Germany’s “Nationalmannschaft” over the last five years.

Schweinsteiger left Bayern this summer, on an adventure which carried for him a degree of risk and, plainly, a sense of stimulation. He is now a Manchester United footballer, and one still young enough, at just turned 31, to look forward to a two or three period where he might galvanise the English club back to the sort of pre-eminence in England and Europe they used to enjoy.

Or, in effect make them once again the club who look like the nearest English mirror-image of well-supported, well-resourced, successful Bayern.

But he will have to adapt. He has already noted, in his four games so far for United, the “physical strength” of the English game, and that, unlike the Bundesliga, “the teams at the bottom of the Premier League table can take on and often beat the teams at the top”.

His reinvention as a Red will test his stamina, and examine some doubts cast lately about his endurance. Pep Guardiola, the Bayern head coach, answering a question recently about why Schweinsteiger, a pillar of that club as boy and man, had been allowed to leave and suggested his best days were behind him.

Yet Guardiola would understand Schweinsteiger’s appetite for something different after a one-club career. When Guardiola himself was in his early 30s, after growing up with and captaining Barcelona, he was invited to consider a switch to Old Trafford. He chose Italy instead.

Schweinsteiger could have done the same, granted himself more time on the ball perhaps, more pause. But part of the attraction was a chance to work with Louis van Gaal, the United manager and a major influence on the Germany skipper’s evolution.

It was Van Gaal who six years ago, looked at Schweinsteiger, who had emerged young at Bayern and with Germany as a feathery winger, and decided he needed a new role. He was not the best player the club then had at zipping down the flanks – Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben were – so Van Gaal tried him in central midfield.

The position would become second-nature to Schweinsteiger. He would establish himself as one of the sport’s true leaders, imposing authority, his eye for a pass and appetite for a tackle in the middle of the pitch.

Nobody in Manchester greeted the signing of Schweinsteiger as if he was Germany’s answer to Ryan Giggs – as a prodigy in Germany in the early 2000s, he had been more that sort of footballer – but with the hope he might be the nearest answer to what United have missed in the 10 years since Roy Keane left.

He has a big year ahead of him: To show he can tower in English football; to demonstrate that the aches, strains and muscle pulls that have hampered him over the last 12 months are not symptoms of decline, and, in France next summer, to maintain Germany’s status as No 1 in the international hierarchy.

Joachim Loew, the Germany head coach who named Schweinsteiger as skipper last year following the retirement of Philipp Lahm, acknowledges he needs some careful handling, tries not to call him up for too many friendlies, but stresses “we need him for the important matches”.

Friday night counts as one. Poland beat Germany in the reverse fixture, and potentially complicated the automatic qualification route. Schweinsteiger missed that fixture with injury, and wants order restored.

Manchester United labelled 'embarrassing' over Martial and De Gea deals

The club's transfer strategy has been questioned after they spent £36 million on Anthony Martial on deadline day and became embroiled in a dispute with Real Madrid over David de...

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has labelled Manchester United's deadline day dealings "embarrassing".

The club spent £36 million on 19-year-old Monaco forward Anthony Martial and then became embroiled in a dispute with Real Madrid after David de Gea's move to the Bernabeu fell through.

The episode unfolded on the back of United's 2-1 defeat to Swansea in the Premier League on Sunday and Keown believes it has cast the club in a bad light.

"It felt like United were rolling the dice on deadline day," he wrote in his column for the Daily Mail. "It is hard to imagine that kind of soap opera happening under Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill. It was embarrassing."

New signing Martial has been compared to Arsenal great Thierry Henry, but Keown - who played alongside the striker during his time at the club - said the move is a big risk.

"The signing of Anthony Martial is a huge gamble," he continued. "He has been compared to Thierry Henry and if he is half as good then he will be a decent player.

"Van Gaal likes a pacey ball-carrier — he had Arjen Robben at Bayern Munich and tried and failed to make Angel di Maria that man at United — and Martial fits the bill.

"He might even be the answer to their striker dilemma but it is still a big risk to take on an uncapped youngster."

Keown also offered his thoughts over the transfer saga involving De Gea - whose move to Madrid fell through after the necessary paperwork wasn't processed before the deadline.

"Banishing him to the reserves will have done nothing to encourage him to stay. The international break now means things can start to settle down but De Gea, who stayed professional throughout the saga, must surely play on his return," he added.

"You also wonder whether Van Gaal’s treatment of De Gea and fellow Spanish keeper Victor Valdes had any influence on why one-time target Pedro ended up at Chelsea.

"We do not see what happens in the dressing room but it is a concern when former players queue up to criticise Van Gaal’s ruthless treatment. Once a relationship is broken, there seems to be no going back."

Robben praise for Douglas Costa

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben has called new teammate Douglas Costa their "special weapon" after he helped the champions thrash Hamburg in the Bundesliga opener.

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben has called new teammate Douglas Costa their "special weapon" after he helped the champions thrash Hamburg in the Bundesliga opener.

The Brazilian winger, a new signing from Shakhtar Donetsk, started on the opposite flank to his Dutch counterpart as Die Roten beat Hamburg 5-0 at Allianz Arena on Friday.

"He's a talent," Robben told Bayern's official website.  "He can sidestep his opponents and is a special weapon for us."

The 24-year-old got a goal in the closing stages of his debut after Mehdi Benatia, Robert Lewandowski, and a Thomas Muller brace had already wrapped up the points, and also provided the assist for Muller's first.

"I really liked it," Costa said of the match. "It was a successful start and I'm very happy that I played my part in the victory."

Mario Gotze must be left alone - Bayern Munich's Matthias Sammer

Bayern Munich sporting executive Matthias Sammer said the discussion around Mario Gotze must end, saying: "Leave the lad alone for a while."

Gotze, 23, has been linked with a move away from Bayern this summer amid interest from Juventus, having fallen down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola last season.

The Germany international was on the bench for Bayern's Bundesliga opener against Hamburg on Friday night, replacing Arjen Robben 65 minutes into the 5-0 victory, while new signing Douglas Costa played the full 90 minutes.

Former Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld had previously warned that the club could lose their German mentality by marginalising the likes of Gotze, told Sky on Sunday: "When you fully trust Gotze then you don't sign Costa."

There has been widespread discussion about the club's treatment of Gotze, with Bayern having suggested on several occasions that they would have been open to a sale before the player told the club he was determined to stay.

Sammer told reporters: "Let's agree on one thing, which is to let Mario just play football for once, whether he has more time on the pitch or a bit less. After every match, Mario and I have to answer questions.

"We've had positive talks with him. He has our trust. Now leave the lad alone for a while."

Sammer was speaking after a charity match at his hometown club Dynamo Dresden that was set up to help the financially troubled third-tier team.

The German champions fielded an experimental starting XI including backup keeper Sven Ulreich and 17-year-old Fabian Benko in attack, as well as Gotze, Dante and Sebastian Rode.

Gotze played for 81 minutes in the 3-1 win before being substituted, and Sammer said: "He played well -- he was very involved with the game, just as we want him to be."

Sammer said it was striking that nobody asked any questions about Dante or Rode despite the duo failing to make the squad for the victory over Hamburg.

He added: "Let me tell you one thing, if you want to win a major trophy, you really need those players.

"You can question things, but having to answer the same questions over and over does not help anyone. We embrace Mario. Thank you very much."

Arjen Robben Hails Douglas Costa as Bayern Munich's 'Special Weapon'

Bayern Munich forward Arjen Robben has labelled new signing Douglas Costa as the club's special weapon after seeing him score on his debut in the club's 5-0 win over Hamburg.

Speaking to the ​club's official website, the Dutchman hailed the former Shakhtar Donetsk man as a big talent, and the player himself was delighted with his performance at the Allian Arena. Robben initially said of the player: ​"He's a talent. He can sidestep his opponents and is a special weapon for us."

And Costa - who also set up Thomas Muller to score - added: "I really liked it (my debut). It was a successful start and I'm very happy that I played my part in the victory. It doesn't matter where I play. The main thing for us is to win as many games as possible. That's what makes a good team.

"Everything's fantastic, my team-mates made it pretty easy for me so far. And the city is beautiful, too."

Reflecting on the game, ​manager Pep Guardiola said the club put in a good performance even while Hamburg tried to stifle them from early on. He said: “It was hard work in the first half because Hamburg played with six at the back. We switched things around a bit at half-time and we improved after that. We had a few problems keeping the pace of the game high. 

"I’m pleased with the debuts for Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal. They have quality and experience and will bring a lot to Bayern Munich. It was the first match and I’m satisfied with the performance.”

Müller added: “That was a super team performance. Once again, we’ve proved we’re still hungry despite all our success in recent years, and we don’t ease off even when we’re 3-0 up. We want to maintain this mentality.”

Additionally, Robert Lewandowski said: “It was the first match and we’ve won it, which is what matters. The first half wasn’t so good, but after going 2-0 up it was clear we could score more goals. It wasn’t easy and we had to be patient.”

Pep Guardiola just wants to be loved but obstacles abound in final Bayern Munich season

“I am coach of Bayern. I am grateful to be here,” Pep Guardiola said.

Ahead of the German Supercup, the Spaniard found himself in the unique position of having to talk about his third opportunity to win the trophy for the first time as Bayern Munich coach. The journalists at the pre-match press conference proceeded to get the obvious out of the way. They asked him where he saw himself this time next year, to which the reply was: “I have not yet decided what the best thing for the club is, but I am doing my best and I will do my best.”

It is a situation that the Bavarians barely expected when they announced him in 2013, but Guardiola is threatening to grow into a problem. “This is the first and the last time that I will talk about it,” he declared, showing little inclination towards renewing his contract in Bavaria, which runs out next June. That new deal will probably go unsigned, with rumours of a massive Manchester City offer continuing apace.

The silence has been allowed to grow to the point of becoming deafening this summer. He who says nothing, reveals something, after all.

The next day, Bayern went on to lose the season curtain-raiser 5-4 on penalties to Wolfsburg after it finished 1-1 inside 90 minutes. Neither the Bundesliga champions nor their coach will miss the Supercup trophy; but the lack of a distraction to bring to an end the stories in the media pointing to an inevitable split will be felt.

By the time Nicklas Bendtner cancelled out Arjen Robben’s opener late on and Xabi Alonso had missed the decisive spot-kick, Guardiola was back in front of the microphones. “We haven't played badly,” the 44-year-old consoled, missing the point that Bayern, with their late collapses and penalty pains, have not been very Bayern lately. “We'll just have to ensure we win the Bundesliga now to get another shot at the Supercup,” Manuel Neuer remarked casually.

9 - FC Bayern have now lost more German Super Cup matches (5 incl. penalty shoot-outs) than they have won (4). Surprising.

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) August 3, 2015

Whether Guardiola will be around to get that shot, the German No. 1 didn’t say, and defeat is more damaging than Bayern will admit, regardless of the trophy’s modest importance.

Die Roten never tire of winning and now need a few for themselves. The team has been at desperately low ebb ever since last season ended in calamitous Champions League and DFB-Pokal exits, few previous results exposing flaws like the defeats in those semi-finals. A lone Bundesliga triumph in March feels a long time ago and the introspection continued beyond the season’s close and into the players’ holidays.

It was a deserved break after a gruelling campaign, especially for Bayern’s German World Cup-winning contingent, but the Sabener Strasse training complex had never been a more welcome sight than when pre-season begun at the start of July. The answers would come on the pitch now, the Supercup an opportunity to prove just that. And Bayern, in increasingly un-German fashion, duly proceeded to miss it.

An obvious target for anger has materialised. Questions over identity have inevitably surfaced under Guardiola. Entering his third year at the helm now, there is no doubt this is the ex-Barcelona mastermind’s team. But is it still Bayern?

Against Wolfsburg, they betrayed their own insecurities against a side resistant to intimidation. Failure to convert scoring chances, then conceding the late equaliser at the Volkswagen Arena, hinted at Bayern’s inability to play with ice in their veins and succumbing on penalties questions their confidence as much as their technique.

The more Bayern attempt to control games, the less capable they seem of killing them off. Supplanting the steel and resolve that defined the 2013 vintage which captured the Treble with a possession-based approach has not been universally embraced by supporters. It is a formula that allowed Guardiola to clinch a Treble of his own in 2009, and follow it up with another Champions League trophy two years later. What the Bayern faithful reject, however, is being chained to an ideal in style, when it takes precedence over the objective of winning matches and, ultimately, silverware.

Their appreciation ends when Guardiola surrenders to the temptation to tinker with formations and roles. It leads to exacerbation when he allows thinly-veiled biases to rise to the surface, marginalising talented youngsters like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and iconic figures such as Bastian Schweinsteiger, while persisting with Alonso in the starting XI despite the regularity of the fading veteran’s gaffes. Fans border on the furious when players are expected to wear their commitment regularly in training and during matches as a badge, while their coach’s long-term allegiance to the club remains questionable at best.

“I will never become a burden for Bayern,” the 44-year-old insisted at the pre-Supercup press conference. But the drawn-out saga over his future, among other factors, has unwittingly transformed him into one. He has departed from being the man who charmed reporters by speaking his first words as Bayern coach in German at his presentation in 2013, descending into the vicious spiral of cat-and-mouse with the press. Less and less, Guardiola explains or reassures questions raised over his decisions, and treats enquiries about tactical or personal plans as intrusions.

Guardiola says he hasn't decided yet on his future @FCBayern. I wd suggest no decision IS a decision.

— Matt Smith (@msmith850) July 31, 2015

In May, club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was forced to deny there was an anti-Guardiola trend in society, although the Spaniard’s verbal jousts with Bayern legends Lothar Matthaus and Stefan Effenberg were a source of public embarrassment. For now, the Bavarians publicly reiterate their faith in their man, hoping to prolong his stay at the Allianz beyond his current deal.

Their success this season hinges on their boss’ well-being and clarity of mind. Even if it’s unclear what more Pep wants, despite enjoying a lavish allotment of disposable income and a freedom to stamp his vision on the way Bayern play. Regardless, the club remain convinced that no one is better placed to deliver than Guardiola.

“If you want to know what I want in life and from my work, I want to be loved, I do not seek more. That's what I want, that's a feeling,” Guardiola revealed at a lecture on leadership in June. “Really, I'm not looking for titles.”

“He will get the fans' love when he wins trophies,” honourary Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer said in response.

Bayern Munich striker dismisses talk of pre-season injury

Arjen Robben has dismissed media reports he missed out on Bayern Munich's pre-season trip to China because of injury.

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben has rubbished reports that he missed the club's pre-season tour to China because of an injury.

The Netherlands international played little part in the closing stages of last season due to a muscular problem, and has not featured in any of Bayern's friendlies prior to the upcoming season.

Reports suggested that was due to injury, but Robben quashed that speculation after making his return in Bayern's penalty-shootout defeat to Wolfsburg in Saturday's DFL Supercup.

"I've read a lot of weird stuff," Robben told De Telegraaf. "[That] I was injured at the time. Nonsense! I wasn't at all.

"I just choose to work at the base and have a very good structure for the remainder of the season. That's what I'm going to take advantage of."

Robben netted Bayern's goal in the 1-1 draw before Wolfsburg prevailed 5-4 in the shootout, and admitted he was surprised to play the full 90 minutes.

"It was the first game at a high level after being injured for nearly five months," Robben said.

"It is also surprising to me how it all went. I thought I would be involved for 15 minutes, but he [Pep Guardiola] didn't substitute me. Every time there was a change, I thought it was me who would be taken off.

"I noticed in the first half I lacked rhythm. I came a little less on the ball and had to really get used to it again. But in the second half I was able to play my own game and I think I've played well."

Fenerbahçe want Arjen Robben and Mirallas, gets Ülker sponsorship

Robin van Persie, Nani and scores of other new recruits may turn out to be not enough to satisfy the Istanbul side’s demands, with club spokesperson Mahmut Uslu confirming that the summer spending spree is by no means over.

Speaking to a local news station on Monday night, Mahmut Uslu confirmed that Everton winger Kevin Mirallas remains a high priority target, elaborating, “We have requested Kevin Mirallas from Everton with an offer for EUR 8 million, but he would not come. The player is not on good terms with his coach, therefore we have to convince him.”

In the meantime, local press has rumored that Fenerbahçe are interested in uniting Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben with Dutch team mate Robin van Persie.

Finances are believed to be in ample supply for the club, having secured a TRY 90 million sponsorship deal with global biscuit giant Ülker over the name rights of the Şükrü Saraçoğlu stadium for ten years, on Monday.

The summer transfer window was one of the club’s busiest, and certainly, its most high-profile spending sprees. The “Yellow Canaries” have added the likes of Robin van Persie and Portuguese winger Nani, in addition to Brazilian forward Fernandao who finished last season as the top scorer in the Turkish league, along with Danish defender Simon Kjaer, and Porto duo Brazilian goalkeeper Fabiano Ribeiro and Senegalese Abdoulaye Ba, who arrived on loan.

Here's why Arjen Robben and Thiago Alcantara didn't play in the Audi Cup

There was only one question for Bayern Munich supporters coming out of the Audi Cup victories over AC Milan and Real Madrid. It didn't have anything to do with what happened on the field in the two games. Why didn't Arjen Robben and Thiago Alcantara play at all?

The answer is actually quite simple. Thanks, Kicker.

Thiago was sick. Yes, players no matter how superhuman they may seem do become ill from time to time. Thiago wasn't feeling well, so there was no reason to run him out in two friendlies.

Robben was not being risked in a friendly in order to get prepared for the DFB Pokal match at the weekend. After going 90 minutes last weekend against Wolfsburg in the DFL Supercup, Robben was given a few extra days to recover following his first minutes back from the injury that ended his 2014-15 season.

Both players returned to the full squad's regeneration session on Thursday. There will be no practice on Friday, but the club will do their final run-through on Saturday for the DFB Pokal match against FC Nöttingen.

Arjen Robben

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arjen Robben

Robben playing for Bayern Munich in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Arjen Robben[1]
Date of birth	23 January 1984 (age 31)
Place of birth	Bedum, Netherlands
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current team	Bayern Munich
Number	10
Youth career
1989–1996	vv Bedum
1996–2000	Groningen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000–2002	Groningen	50	(8)
2002–2004	PSV	56	(17)
2004–2007	Chelsea	67	(15)
2007–2009	Real Madrid	50	(11)
2009–	Bayern Munich	127	(73)
National team‡
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–	Netherlands	86	(28)
Honours[show]
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:38, 22 March 2015 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 November 2014

Arjen Robben (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑrjən ˈrɔbə(n)] ; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Netherlands national team. Robben has appeared at the 2004, 2008 and 2012UEFA European Championships, and the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. He is a forward who usually plays as a left or right sided winger. Robben is known for his dribbling skills, speed, crossing ability and his accurate left foot long-range shots from the right wing.

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.^[3] The following season Robben's signature was pursued by leading English clubs, and after protracted transfer negotiations he joinedChelsea in 2004.

Robben's Chelsea debut was delayed through injury, but upon returning to fitness he helped Chelsea bring home two consecutivePremier League titles, and was the FA Premier League Player of the Month in November 2005.^[4][5] After a third season in England which was punctuated by injury, Robben moved to Spanish club Real Madrid for €35 million. In August 2009, Robben transferred to Bayern Munich for a fee of around €25 million,^[6] scoring two goals on his debut. 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. After his first season with Bayern, Robben was also named Footballer of the Year in Germany.^[7]

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1 Early football life
• 2 Club career
  • 2.1 Groningen
  • 2.2 PSV
  • 2.3 Chelsea
    • 2.3.1 2004–05 season
    • 2.3.2 2005–06 season
    • 2.3.3 2006–07 season
  • 2.4 Real Madrid
  • 2.5 Bayern Munich
    • 2.5.1 2009–10 season
    • 2.5.2 2010–11 season
    • 2.5.3 2011–12 season
    • 2.5.4 2012–13 season
    • 2.5.5 2013–14 season
    • 2.5.6 2014–15 season
    • 2.5.7 2015–16 season
• 3 International career
  • 3.1 Euro 2004
  • 3.2 2006 World Cup
  • 3.3 Euro 2008
  • 3.4 2010 World Cup
  • 3.5 Euro 2012
  • 3.6 2014 World Cup
• 4 Style of play
• 5 Personal life
• 6 Sponsorship
• 7 Career statistics
  • 7.1 Club statistics
  • 7.2 International
    • 7.2.1 International statistics
• 8 Honours
  • 8.1 Club
  • 8.2 Netherlands
  • 8.3 Individual
• 9 References
• 10 External links

Early football life

Robben was born in Bedum, a satellite town of Groningen in the north-eastern Netherlands. He took to football from an early age, becoming an adherent of the Coerver Method.^[8] Robben's skill in ball control and technical footwork made him a valuable player, and he was quickly signed by regional club FC Groningen. Here, he developed his distinctive style of cutting inside from the right onto his left foot to score some quite spectacular goals.^[9]

Club career

Groningen

Groningen placed Robben in their first team for the 1999–2000 season. He scored three goals in league play. Manager Jan van Dijk added the winger to the first team before Groningen's November 2000 away game against Twente, but he did not play until 3 December 2000 against Waalwijk, as a substitute for the injured Leonardo dos Santos in the 79th minute. During the winter, Robben managed to play himself into the starting lineup. In 18 starts for Groningen over the 2000–01 season, he scored two goals.^[10] Robben was named player of the year for his first season with the club, and with teammate Jordi Hoogstrate, he demonstrated the strength of the Groningen youth academy. Robben stayed with Groningen and improved steadily during the 2001–02 season, playing in 28 matches and scoring six goals.^[10] Robben transferred to PSV for €3.9 million before the 2002–03 season.^[3]

PSV

During his first season for PSV, the 2002–03 season, Robben played 33 matches and scored 12 goals.^[10] He was named "PSV co-player of the year" along with striker Mateja Kežman, with whom he formed an attacking partnership still fondly referred to by PSV fans as "Batman and Robben".^[11] He helped lead PSV to their 17th Dutch title, and won the Talented Player of the Year award.^[12] After this good start, PSV could not keep up with rival Ajax and were forced into a fight for second place in the Eredivisie. Robben travelled to London and met with Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson's offer came in much too low for PSV's and Robben's liking; PSV chairman Harry van Raaij told Manchester United the most that their €7 million offer would buy them was a shirt with Robben's autograph. Almost immediately, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich offered €18 million (£12.1 million), and PSV accepted.^[13] The rest of his season with PSV was disappointing. He injured his hamstring twice and missed several games.^[14][15] By the end of the season, Robben scored five times in 23 Eredivisie matches.^[10]

Chelsea

2004–05 season

Robben celebrates winning the 2004–05 Premiership

Robben did not make his competitive debut for Chelsea until November 2004, as he was injured in a pre-season friendly match againstRoma, breaking a metatarsal bone in his right foot in a challenge from Olivier Dacourt.^[4] During this time, he told club doctors that he had noticed an unfamiliar growth on one of his testicles. The medical team quickly did tests to check for testicular cancer, but he was subsequently given the all clear.^[16]

Robben proved to be a crucial player for the 2004–05 season; in November 2004, he was awarded the FA Premier League "Player of the Month" award.^[4][5] Robben ended the 2004–05 season with seven goals, his second highest professional total. He was shortlisted for thePFA Young Player of the Year, but was beaten by Wayne Rooney of Manchester United.^[17][18] Robben was badly injured in a league game away to Blackburn Rovers and forced to sit out Chelsea's title run-in and progress to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.^[19] Back to fitness for 2005–06, Robben was an integral part of the Chelsea left wing. In 28 matches, Robben contributed six goals as Chelsea won a second consecutive Premier League championship, the first back-to-back titles for the west London club.^[10]

2005–06 season

Robben and Petr Čech celebrate their second Premier League title in 2006

The 2005–06 season saw Robben involved in an unsporting incident with Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Towards the end of a league game between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, which Chelsea won 2–0, Reina shoved his hand in Robben's face after some provocative words from Robben. Robben fell theatrically to the turf, and Reina received a red card for "violent behaviour", as violent conduct is illegal. As a result of the incident Reina commented that Robben "did well enough to win an Oscar" for his theatrics. Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez later joked in a post-match interview that he "would soon be going to hospital to check on Robben's condition". Reina's red card was not rescinded.^[20]

2006–07 season

Robben was later named man of the match on 23 December 2006 against Wigan, a match where he got two assists and the winning goal.^[21]

Robben with Chelsea

Robben was inflicted with yet another injury in a match against Liverpool on 20 January 2007.^[22] 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.^[23] 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.^[24] Robben scored a goal in the second round of theUEFA 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.^[25] He only made two further appearances for Chelsea, both of which were as a substitute^[26] 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 UEFA 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.^[27] His final appearance for the club came againstManchester United in the 2007 FA Cup Final. Robben replaced Joe Cole at half time, but was then subsequently substituted himself for Ashley Colein extra time as Chelsea emerged victorious.^[28] Spanish club Real Madrid were interested in two of Chelsea's players. Then manager Bernd Schuster is said to have demanded Michael Ballack, while Madrid's former president, Ramón Calderón, was known to favour Robben.^[29] 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."^[30][31]

Real Madrid eventually secured Robben's services in August 2007.^[32] 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."^[33][34]

Real Madrid

Robben playing for Real Madrid

Robben completed his move to Real Madrid on a five-year deal on 22 August 2007,^[35] with the transfer fee reported as £24 million^[36][37] (€35 million). He made his debut on 18 September as a substitute for Raúl during a Champions League match against Werder Bremen, which Real Madrid won 2–1.^[38] His league debut came on 23 September, this time as a substitute for Royston Drenthe in a 1–1 away draw against Valladolid.^[39] On 10 February 2008, Robben scored his first goal, this time at home in a 7–0 victory against Valladolid.^[40] Robben proved crucial for many Real Madrid matches, making his famous runs down the left wing, and quickly became a first choice for the left midfield position, making 28 appearances during his debut season and scoring five goals. Real Madrid won the league title with some games to spare, and were already the champions of Spain when they played their arch-rivals FC Barcelona on 7 May 2008. The Barcelona players formed a guard of honor as the Madrid team came onto the pitch at the Santiago Bernabéu, and Robben played an important part in Real Madrid's subsequent 4–1 victory, scoring the champions' second goal.^[41]

He retained his key role in the Real Madrid midfield during the 2008–09 season, playing 35 times and scoring eight goals. Although the Dutchman was one of the Spanish side's most important players in the pre-season games leading up to the 2009–10 season, having scored three goals and help set up another four, he was among the players whose place in the first team became threatened following the arrival of Florentino Pérez and the signings of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká. Real Madrid accepted a bid of around €25 million for Robben from Bayern Munich.^[42][43] Robben claimed he was "forced" to leave Real Madrid, saying that he "didn't want to go, but the club wanted to sell him".^[44]

Bayern Munich

2009–10 season

Robben with Bayern Munich in 2010

On 28 August 2009, Robben moved to Bayern Munich for around €25 million. He was given the number 10 shirt, last worn by his fellow Dutchman, Roy Makaay.^[45][46] His debut came the day after. He came on as a half-time substitute against Wolfsburg, scored two goals, and helped his team beat last season's champions in Bayern's first win of the 2009–10 season.^[47][48] On 9 March 2010, Robben scored the deciding goal in Bayern's 2–3 defeat (4–4 on aggregate over two legs) against Fiorentina, taking them through to the quarter finals of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League on away goals.^[49]

On 7 April 2010, Robben sent Bayern Munich into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League with a stunning volley against Manchester Unitedfrom the edge of the area into the corner of the net. The game ended 3–2 to United (4–4 on aggregate) with Bayern advancing again due to away goals.^[50]

On 17 April 2010, he scored his first hat-trick in the Bundesliga against Hannover 96 in the Allianz Arena. The game ended 7–0 to the Bavarians.^[51] On 8 May 2010, he won his first Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich after scoring two goals in their 3–1 victory over Hertha BSC, finishing as Bayern's top scorer in the process.^[52]

A week later, Bayern played in the DFB-Pokal Final against the previous champions of the tournament, Werder Bremen, in Berlin's Olympiastadion. Bayern won the game by 4–0; Robben scored the first of those four goals from a penalty kick. Robben thus helped the Bavarians achieve their fifteenth DFB-Pokal title. On 25 May 2010, Robben was named Footballer of the Year in Germany for the year 2010.^[53] He won the election by attaining a record 72.1% of the vote and was the first Dutch person to win this election.

2010–11 season

Robben preparing to take a free kick during the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final.

The 2010–11 season started badly for Robben, after medical tests confirmed that his hamstring had not properly healed and that he would be out for two months.^[54] Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stated that "Of course, Bayern Munich are very angry" with the Dutch FA, and would be seeking compensation from them, continuing "Once again we must pay the bill as a club after a player is seriously injured playing for a national team."^[54] On 15 January 2011, he returned to first team action, coming on as a substitute in the 1–1 away draw with VfL Wolfsburg.

Robben was nominated for the "UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder", but this went to his international compatriot Wesley Sneijder. He has also been nominated for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award, and the FIFA Puskás Award, which goes to the best goal of the year, and he has also been nominated for FIFA’s "FIFPro World XI 2010" squad, thanks to his fantastic season with Bayern Munich.

2011–12 season

In the second leg of the semi-finals of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, against his former club Real Madrid which was now managed by José Mourinho (who had been his manager at Chelsea), after Bayern fell behind 2–0, Robben converted a penalty to level the tie at 3–3. Bayern advanced to the final after winning the resulting penalty shootout.^[55]

On 3 May 2012 it was reported that Robben has signed a new contract with Bayern which will last till 2015.^[56]

Robben had an extra-time penalty saved by former teammate Petr Čech in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final at the Allianz Arena against Chelsea. Had he scored, Bayern Munich would have led Chelsea 2–1. However the match ended in a penalty shootout which Chelsea won.^[57] That was the fourth major cup final that he had been on the losing side during the last two years (World Cup final, two Champions League finals and the DFB Pokal). Three days later in the same stadium while playing as a second half substitute for the Netherlands in a friendly against Bayern Munich, he was jeered by some disgruntled Bayern Munich fans every time he touched the ball (due to his penalty miss in the Champions League final, and as he did not play on Bayern's side during that match due to a decision taken by Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk).^[58] The match had been organized to compensate Bayern, since Robben aggravated an injury playing for the Netherlands at the 2010 World Cup, and went on to miss several months of the 2010–11 season.^[59]

2012–13 season

Robben with the Champions League trophy during Bayern Munich's celebration of the continental treble in which Bayern won the UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga, andDFB-Pokal in 2013

In the 2012–13 season, Robben had started the season on the bench, as manager Jupp Heynckes preferred to start Thomas Müller on the right wing, with Toni Kroos at the attacking midfielder position. Robben had played through the season as a substitute, but earned his chance to start again after Kroos was injured during the Champions League tie against Juventus. He started on the right wing for the rest of the season, having moved Müller back to the middle. Robben started against Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokaland scored the game's lone goal in the 43rd minute. In the Champions League semi-final against FC Barcelona, Robben started both games and scored in both games, including the go-ahead goal in the second leg. Bayern would then go on to return to the Final. Robben atoned for his penalty miss the previous season by setting up teammate Mario Mandžukić's goal to open the scoring in the 60th minute then netting an 89th minute winner in a 2–1 victory over Borussia Dortmund to give Bayern their fifth European Cup.^[60] During the presentation he was named Man of the Match by UEFA.^[61]

2013–14 season

Robben scored his first goals of the 2013–14 season in the 2013 DFL-Supercup, where Bayern were beaten 4–2 by Borussia Dortmund.^[62] On 9 August 2013, his opening goal helped Bayern to a 3–1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach in their first match of the Bundesligacampaign.^[63] On 17 September, he scored in Bayern's Champions League opener against CSKA Moskva at the Allianz Arena.^[64] He went on to score two further goals during the Champions League group stage; in away wins against Manchester City^[65] and CSKA^[66] as Bayern finished as group winners. On 23 November, Robben was one of three scorers as Bayern beat title rivals Borussia Dortmund 3–0 at the Westfalenstadion.^[67] On 4 December, Robben was substituted with a deep cut on his right knee in a 2–0 DFB-Pokal win away to FC Augsburg which prevented him from taking part in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup.^[68]

On 1 March 2014, Robben scored a hat-trick in Bayern's 5–1 win over FC Schalke 04.^[69] On 19 March, he signed a contract extension with Bayern, which will keep him at the club until 2017.^[70] On 9 April, Robben scored Bayern's third goal in a 3–1 Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United, to secure qualification to the semi-finals.^[71] On 17 May, Robben scored Bayern's opening goal in a 2–0 extra-time defeat of Borussia Dortmund in the 2014 DFB-Pokal Final, giving him his third league and cup double in five seasons with the club. His goal made him the first player to score in three separate DFB-Pokal finals.^[72] On 13 July, after winning the third place match at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Louis van Gaal invited Robben to follow him to Manchester United, but the latter ruled out the move.^[73]

2014–15 season

In Bayern's opening match of the 2014–15 Bundesliga season, Robben scored one goal and assisted the other as the team defeated VfL Wolfsburg 2–1 on on 22 August 2014. On 1 November, he scored the winning goal from a penalty kick against Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker. On 16 December 2014, Robben scored his 100th competitive goal for Bayern Munich in a home match against SC Freiburg.^[74]

On 21 February 2015, Robben scored twice in a 6–0 win against SC Paderborn 07, giving him the record of having scored against every Bundesliga team he had faced.^[75] He ended 2014–15 alongside teammate Robert Lewandowski as joint second-top goalscorer in the Bundesliga with 17 goals. This was in spite of the player missing the last two months of the season through injury.^[76]

2015–16 season

Robben started his 2015–16 season by scoring the opening goal of the DFL–Supercup.^[77] The match finished in a 1–1 draw.^[77] Robben also scored in the subsequent shootout.^[77]

International career

Robben has played in 78 matches for the Netherlands national football team, scoring 26 goals.^[78] In April 2003, he made his international debut in a friendly match againstPortugal at the age of 19.^[78]

Euro 2004

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. However, the Czech team then scored two goals and won 3–2, which led to criticism about Advocaat's decision.^[79] 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.^[80]

2006 World Cup

Robben played in his first 2006 World Cup qualifier in 2006. In six games for the Netherlands, Robben scored two goals.^[81] The Netherlands qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and in the Netherlands opening match against Serbia and Montenegro, Robben scored the winning goal in the 18th minute, and was named the Man of the match. In the match against Côte d'Ivoire, Robben received this award the second time, thus becoming one of the eight players in the tournament to have won the Man of the Match Award more than once.^[82]

Euro 2008

Robben in 2009 prior to a match against Japan.

During UEFA Euro 2008, manager Marco van Basten changed the formation to 4–2–3–1, preferring the midfield trio of Rafael van der Vaart,Wesley Sneijder and Dirk Kuyt. Robben was left to battle it out with Robin van Persie for a place on the wing. In the group match against France, which the Netherlands won 4–1, Robben was brought on at half-time. He dragged the ball out of reach of a defender near the half-way line and paced his way ahead of three defenders, then crossed straight to Van Persie who powered a shot into the goal past Grégory Coupet. At 2–0, Thierry Henry scored a goal, making it 2–1, and almost directly after the restart, Robben was played through by Sneijder and he ran at the France goal and was forced into an acute angle, but despite the angle, he shot the ball into the net past Coupet.

Robben on the ball atUEFA Euro 2012.

2010 World Cup

Robben was selected by the Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk for the final squad of 23 for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.^[83][84] In the team's last friendly match against Hungary, just before its flight to South Africa on 4 June, Robben fell awkwardly, and picked up a hamstring injury which caused concern over his fitness for the tournament.^[85] On 5 June, Van Marwijk announced that he'd "decided not to summon any substitute for Arjen. I want to give him every chance to still participate in the World Cup."^[86] On 12 June 2010, Robben arrived in South Africa to join the team.^[87] He was an unused substitute for the opening game against Denmark as they coasted to a 2–0 victory, and again in the 1–0 victory against Japan. He came on in the 73rd minute against Cameroon in their 2–1 victory, hitting the post from which Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored from the rebound.^[88]

On 28 June 2010, he started his first match against Slovakia in which he went on to score the first goal in the second round as the Netherlands won 2–1. He also went on to pick up the man of the match award.^[89] Robben scored the third goal with a well-placed header in the semi-finals against Uruguay which the Netherlands won 3–2 to reach the final.^[90] Robben played for the full match in the final as the Netherlands lost 1–0 to Spain.^[91] Robben had Netherlands's best opportunity of the match when played in on goal by Wesley Sneijder in the 62nd minute of the match, but was denied by Iker Casillas.^[92] Robben was nominated for the 2010 World Cup Golden Ball, the tournament's best player, which was won by Diego Forlán.

Euro 2012

Robben was selected to play for the Netherlands at UEFA Euro 2012.^[93][94] He started in the first group stage match, a 1–0 loss to Denmark, in which he hit the post with a curled effort. In the next match, a 2–1 loss to Germany, he hopped over the advertising boards and walked the long way round after being subbed off for Dirk Kuyt because he thought he could have inspired the Netherlands to a win.^[95] After a 2–1 loss to Portugal, the Netherlands were knocked out with three straight defeats.

2014 World Cup

In the Netherlands' first match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Robben scored two goals in a 5–1 win over Spain.^[96] In the Netherlands' second group stage match, a 3–2 win overAustralia, Robben scored the team's opening goal as they qualified for the knockout stage.^[97] In the Round of 16 knock-out game with Mexico, the Netherlands won on a penalty awarded after Robben went down following a challenge from Rafael Márquez. The Associated Press said that Robben's "theatrical" fall "did little to defuse the debate about his reputation for diving."^[98] Robben maintained that the penalty was correct but admitted to falling easily earlier in the match, telling a Dutch TV channel that "the one [at the end] was a penalty, but the other one was a dive in the first half. I shouldn't be doing that."^[99]

In the quarter-final, Robben scored the Netherlands' second kick in a 4–3 penalty shootout defeat of Costa Rica.^[100] On 11 July, Robben was named on the 10-man shortlist for FIFA's Golden Ball award for the tournament's best player.^[101]

Style of play

Robben is a world class player. He can, as we know from experience, decide a game on his own. To stop him, you have to double him.

“

”

— Borussia Dortmund's Kevin Großkreutz on having two players mark Robben.^[102]

I always prefer to be honest and I said there was one foul in the first half where I went to the ground when the opponent took his leg away at the last moment ... It had nothing to do with the game and the penalty was a clear penalty. I apologise for the action in the first-half but that’s football ...

“

”

— Robben admits to diving against Mexico in 2014, but argues that it only happened during the less-crucial first half.^[103]

Robben is 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."^[104][105] 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.^[106]

He is predominantly a left footed player.^[107] 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.^[106]

Robben has been often accused of diving, and he has at times openly admitted to the charges.^{[108][109][110][111]} 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".^[112] In July 2014, Robben admitted to diving in the first half of Netherlands' match against Mexico in the last 16 round of the 2014 FIFA 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.^[108] Following the incident, Robben's former manager at Chelsea, José Mourinho, claimed 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".^[113]

Personal life

Robben married his girlfriend Bernadien Eillert on 9 June 2007 in Groningen.^[114] The two met while in high school in the city, at the Kamerlingh Onnes,^[115] and have two sons, Luka born in 2008 and Kai born 2012 and a daughter, Lynn born in 2010.^[116][117] Robben's father, Hans, works as his agent.^[118]

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.'^[119]

Sponsorship

Robben has a sponsorship deal with German sportswear and equipment supplier, Adidas.^[120] Robben features in EA Sports' FIFA video game series, and was the third highest rated player in FIFA 15.^[121]

Career statistics

Club statistics

As of 1 August 2015.

Club	Season	League			Cup		League Cup		Continental		Other		Total		Ref.
		League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Groningen	2000–01	Eredivisie	18	2			—		—				18	2	[122]
	2001–02		28	6	6	4							34	10	[122]
	Totals		46	8	6	2							52	10	—
PSV Eindhoven	2002–03	Eredivisie	33	12	3	0			4	1	1	0	41	13	[122]
	2003–04		23	6	2	0			8	2	1	1	34	9	[122]
	Totals		56	18	5	0			12	3	2	1	75	21	—
Chelsea	2004–05	Premier League	18	7	2	0	4	1	5	1	—		29	9	[122]
	2005–06		28	6	4	1	1	0	6	0	1	0	40	7	[122]
	2006–07		21	2	4	0	3	0	7	1	1	0	36	3	[122]
	Totals		67	15	10	1	8	1	18	2	2	0	105	19	—
Real Madrid	2007–08	La Liga	21	4	2	1	—		5	0	0	0	28	5	[122]
	2008–09		29	7	0	0			6	1	2	0	37	8	[122]
	Totals		50	11	2	1	—		11	1	2	0	65	13	—
Bayern Munich	2009–10	Bundesliga	24	16	3	3	—		10	4	—		37	23	[123]
	2010–11		14	12	1	1			2	0	0	0	17	13	[124]
	2011–12		24	12	3	2			9	5	—		36	19	[125]
	2012–13		16	5	5	4			9	4	1	0	30	13	[122][126]
	2013–14		28	11	5	4			10	4	2	2	45	21	[122][127]
	2014–15		21	17	2	0			7	2	0	0	30	19	[122][128]
	2015–16		0	0	0	0			0	0	1	1	1	1	[77][129]
	Totals		127	73	19	14	—		47	19	4	3	197	109	—
Career statistics			327	123	42	20	8	1	88	25	9	3	475	172	—

International

International statistics

Robben with Dutch teammate Dirk Kuyt.

^[130]

Netherlands national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2003	3	1
2004	8	2
2005	6	3
2006	10	2
2007	4	0
2008	6	2
2009	8	1
2010	7	4
2011	1	0
2012	10	2
2013	10	5
2014	13	6
Total	86	28

Honours

Club

PSV

• Eredivisie: 2002–03^[131]
• Johan Cruijff Schaal: 2003

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06^[131]
• FA Cup: 2006–07^[132]
• Football League Cup: 2004–05, 2006–07^[133]
• FA Community Shield: 2005^[133]

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 2007–08^[131]
• Supercopa de España: 2008^[134]

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15^[131]
• DFB-Pokal: 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14^[131]
• DFB-Supercup: 2010, 2012^[135][136]
• UEFA Champions League: 2012–13^[131]
• UEFA Super Cup: 2013^[137]

Netherlands

Robben with Dirk Kuyt on a boat inAmsterdam following the 2010 World Cup.

• FIFA World Cup: Runner-up 2010; Third Place 2014^[131][138]

Individual

• Dutch Football Talent of the Year: 2002–03^[139]
• Johan Cruijff Prijs: 2002–03
• Premier League Player of the Month: November 2004^[140]
• PFA Team of the Year: 2005^[141]
• ESM Team of the Year: 2004–05,^[142] 2009–10, 2014-15^[143]
• Bravo Award: 2005^[144]
• Goal of the Month in Germany: January 2010,^[145] March 2010,^[145] April 2010,^[145] February 2013
• The kicker Man Of The Year: 2010^[146]
• Footballer of the Year in Germany: 2010^[147]
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2011, 2014^[148]
• UEFA Best Player in Europe Award 2013 (4th place)
• UEFA Best Player in Europe Award 2014 (3rd place)
• UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match: 2013^[149]
• UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2013–14
• FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball: 2014^[150]
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2014^[151]
• FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2014^[152]
• FIFA Ballon d'Or: 4th place 2014^[153]
• Dutch Sportsman of the Year: 2014^[154]