Former Chelsea and Real Madrid Netherlands winger Arjen Robben have retired from active football for the second time after deciding not to spend a second season playing for Dutch club Groningen. Robben, who made 96 appearances for Holland, thanked fans for the ‘heartwarming support’ after confirming his departure on his verified Twitter account.
The 37-year-old first retired about two years ago after leaving German top side Bayern Munich but decided to return to the game in June 2020. He returned and joined the club he started his career with, which is Groningen. Arjen Robben has now come out after playing just a handful of games for the Eredivisie side, to say he is retiring from active football.
Robben wrote: “Dear football friends, I have decided to stop my active football career. A very difficult choice. I want to thank everyone for all the heart-warming support.” Arjen was a top-class player during his playing days. He played in the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, and countryside Eredivisie before retiring.
He was part of the Bayern Munich team that won the Champions League in 2013, scoring a last-minute winner to defeat Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. Robben helped Chelsea to back-to-back Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho and the FA Cup and two League Cups.
But his most tremendous success came in Munich, where he won eight Bundesliga titles, five German Cups and the UEFA Super Cup. He was an integral part of the Dutch team that reached the final of the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa. They lost to pain in the final 1-0.
Robben scored 37 goals for his country and then cut a total of 209 goals and provided 193 assists in all the clubs he played for, which are Groningen, PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
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