Robben eyes one last hurrah with Bayern

Doha, Qatar:  Arjen Robben would dart into the box from the right flank, take a few touches of the ball with his left foot, sometimes a few more, and fire a left-footer past the hapless goalkeeper into the top corner. Not necessarily into the top corner, but he would beat the goalkeeper almost always.

His rivals know this. The goalkeepers, defenders, managers, they all know this. But when the moment comes, Robben would just make his move, one of the most repeated ones in world football, make the defenders move like puppets before putting an end to their misery.

Allianz Arena and Bayern Munich fans will miss this move more than anything else when Robben leaves Bayern at the end of the season after 10 hugely successful years, as he has already announced.

The 34-year-old is linked with a move to Inter Milan, while there are also chances he might go elsewhere in Europe, the US, or even Qatar where his close friend and another Dutch superstar Wesley Sneijder plies his trade, with Al Gharafa.

Robben, however, held his cards close to the chest as he addressed the media in Doha, where Bayern are having their winter training camp.

“Yeah, I’ve had offers and I’m also maybe proud and happy that I’ve received them. These past few weeks have been very busy for my dad who is also my agent. But it is nice to hear and know that clubs are interested and for me what I said before the winter break is still true,” said Robben.

“The future is still very open, I’m still waiting and I want to wait as well as I want to focus now on getting fit, getting back into the team and playing my football again. Then, I don’t know when, but I have to make a decision and I won’t wait until the end of the season because I also got a family so I need to plan ahead. I am very privileged and also really grateful that teams are showing an interest.”

But first, Robben has a job on his hands. Bayern are six points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga while in Champions League they are drawn against Liverpool one of the in-form teams in Europe and Robben, a European champion and seven-time Bundesliga winner, would be delighted to add to that numbers.

“We have a big challenge ahead. At the moment, we are six points behind, so we have to chase Dortmund. We proved ourselves in the last few games before the winter break. And, if we can continue like that and chase them, hopefully with the right amount of pressure, we can win the title.”

The two-time Premier League winner with Chelsea said they could beat Liverpool provided they play the way they want to.

“They (Liverpool) are doing a great job this season and It will be a tough challenge. So, we must concentrate on our own game, work hard and try to improve as much as possible. If we have a good day and we play the way we want to play, I think we can make it a very difficult game for them.”

Robben who played alongside Sneijder in two of Netherlands biggest triumphs in the World stage – a runners-up finish in South Africa World Cup and a third place in Brazil four years later – said the Gharafa forward could be a role model for youngsters.

“He (Sneijder) is a good friend of mine and one of the best players I’ve ever played with. He has a great experience and can bring something special to a game. He still can do amazing things with the ball at his feet. He is also a good example in terms of what you can achieve in your career if you believe in yourself and you are prepared to work hard,” said Robben who added that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar would be a big success.