DBasia.news – Former Bayern Munich, player Arjen Robben has decided to return to football and join his childhood club, FC Groningen after he had previously declared his retirement in 2019.
The Eredivisie club stated on Saturday that the 36-year-old player was contracted for the 2020-21 season.
Robben has decided to etire last year after winning eight Bundesliga titles with Die Roten.
Groningen itself is a club that has a place in the heart of the player as he made his professional debut there in 2000 when he was 16 years old.
The former Dutch national team captain played for Chelsea, PSV Eindhoven and Real Madrid, during which time he won 12 league titles.
At the international level, Robben has made 96 appearances for his country including playing in the 2010 World Cup final in Johannesburg.
Groningen confirmed that Robben had returned to training for the past few weeks to be ready for the next season.
“In the last few weeks I have had a lot of discussions with people in the club, but maybe I have listened to the words of supporters, who asked me to follow my heart,” the player told the club’s official website as quoted by Reuters, Sunday (28) / 6).
“It started to feel a tingle and now it is my mission. I am working hard to get back to being a footballer.”
However, Robben admitted that he was unsure if he could still do it.
“I don’t know yet whether this will work. What I do know is that it will not depend on my commitment and motivation. Now my dream is to play for FC Groningen again,” said the player who has a distinctive style of play.