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Thread of Arjen Robben’s legendary career:
Arjen Robben is arguably one of the greatest right wingers of all time and this thread will cover his service for Bayern and the Netherlands (2009-18) as an appreciation for this legend.
(likes and RT appreciated)
Arjen Robben is arguably one of the greatest right wingers of all time and this thread will cover his service for Bayern and the Netherlands (2009-18) as an appreciation for this legend.
(likes and RT appreciated)
09-10 season: Unjustly shoved out of Madrid so Perez could usher in a new era of galacticos, a certain LVG signed his compatriot for Bayern Munich to build a system around him and a certain other French winger...let's just say the partnership was successful for the next decade
His debut season proved to be very successful, as he scored 23 goals (most in the team) while also providing 8 assists (goal involvement every 89 minutes). He and Ribery (Robbery) transformed the role of the inverted winger and were one of the best duos for the next decade.
For his accolades, Robben managed to win the domestic double as well as powering his team to a UCL final (scored in EVERY KNOCKOUT GAME bar the final where a Ribery absence hurt against a well drilled Inter side under Mourinho). He also managed to win the German POTY 2010.
2010 WC: After having an injury in the beginning of the campaign, Robben formed a formidable partnership with Kuyt, RVP, and Sneijder, taking the Dutch to the final in the process. Once again, Robben lost in a final with a painful miss against an excellent Casillas save.
10-11 season: Robben got another injury which led him to be out for the rest of 2010, and his presence was sorely missed. During that period, Bayern only managed to get 29 out of 51 points and score only 30 goals in the Bundesliga as they were barely hanging on for a CL spot.
The Dutchman came back in banging form with 13 goals and 13 assists (goal contribution every 54 minutes). However the season was overall poor for Bayern as they were 3rd in the Bundesliga, knocked in the semis of the DFB Pokal, and knocked in the RO16 in the CL by Inter (again).
11-12 season: Under new manager Jupp Heynckes (who was previously interim after LVG was sacked April 2011), Robben still managed to produce a good season with 19 goals and 10 assists (goal contribution every 95 minutes), but this was probably his worst season ever personally.
Bayern were second place in all 3 competitions they were in, and Robben missed a crucial penalty in both the Dortmund match and UCL final. After that season, Robben was labeled as a big game choker and was scapegoated by many fans. This was an all time career low for him.
Euro 2012: The Netherlands were fourth in their group and Robben did not contribute to a single goal as he as many other stars were harshly criticized by Cryff for their performances that tournament. This disastrous Euro performance temporarily cost him his starting spot.
12/13 season: Robben continued his difficult trend as his injures cost him the starting spot as Jupp preferred the trio of Kroos, Muller, and Ribery until that Juventus game where Kroos got injured: from that moment Robben started his remontada.
Not only did he manage an impressive 13 goals and 11 assists (goal contribution every 92 minutes), but he also scored in every CL knockout game he started including the winner in the final and of course won Bayern the treble.
This season however goes much deeper. Robben showed that he had the mentality of a beast and wanted to redeem himself from his past setbacks...and he did much more. He shredded his big game choker label and scored the poetic UCL winner. Look how much it meant to him personally.
13/14 season: From that season...we saw a form of Robben we never saw before as he reached new heights under Pep Guardiola. He notched 21 goals and 15 assists (goal contribution every 87 minutes) which was the most goal contributions in his career for a season.
Although Bayern could not repeat the treble losing to Real in the semis of the UCL, Robben finished second in the UEFA Player of the Year just behind Ronaldo.
2014 WC: Robben was a different beast that WC as he carried a mid Netherlands side to the semi finals losing only by penalties. Also he got his revenge on Spain by brutally destroying them 5-1 with 2 goals and a still record speed of 37 km/hr. He deserved the golden ball imho.
2014/15 season: Continuing to get better even though he is in his 30s...Robben had his best ever season in 14/15...here are his incredible stats that season.
- 19 goals and 9 assists (goal contribution every 79 minutes)
- 5 dribbles p/90
- 4.7 shots p/90
- 2.7 KP p/90
- 19 goals and 9 assists (goal contribution every 79 minutes)
- 5 dribbles p/90
- 4.7 shots p/90
- 2.7 KP p/90
It was unfortunate that his season was cut short by injuries as he was nearly Messi/Ronaldo level that season and the absence of the top goal contributor (Robben) hurt Bayern as they were knocked out of the semis of the pokal and UCL by Dortmund and Barca respectively.
15/16 season: This season was by far Robben’s worst statistically as it was plagued by injuries and Robben only mustered 7 goals and 3 assists (goal contribution every 153 minutes). However when people thought he was finished he said he will prove them wrong...and he did.
16/17 season: Although not his prime self Robben was easily a top 5 winger itw at 33 years old. Still managed 16 goals and 11 assists (goal contribution every 101 minutes). Fun fact he outperformed his xG by an astonishing 117% in the Bundesliga.
Decline of Robben: Robben along with Riberys final two seasons were honestly hard to swallow for Bayern fans as they declined rapidly but they still showed in some moments they had something left in the tank...like this game
Robben is known for his speed, dribbling, cutting in, goal creating, etc. However he has had so many tough challenges in his career like his setbacks and injuries but bounces back even stronger...this is why he is looked up as the model professional by many.
(End of thread)
(End of thread)
