Arjen Robben: 10 years at Bayern Munich, 10 best moments
Michael Jackson had the Moonwalk, The Rock has the People’s Elbow - Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben boasts what’s become known in football circles as 'the Defender’s Nightmare'.
The 34-year-old’s signature angled run off the right-hand side and curled left-footed finish has survived the test of time in an unwavering assault on the senses. He’s ripped down defensive walls and built a legacy.
As Rocking Robben prepares for his final curtain call before leaving Bayern at the end of 2018/19, bundesliga.com looks back on some of the standout moments in the legendary career of the archetypal inverted winger…
1) Debut vs. Wolfsburg, 29 August 2009
When Robben joined Bayern from Real Madrid in summer 2009, some questioned whether the former Chelsea winger would fit in at the club.
Needless to say those doubts were vanquished by a mouth-watering taster session against defending Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg at the start of 2009/10.
Making his Bundesliga debut as a half-time substitute for Hamit Altintop, the Dutchman scored two second-half goals to seal a 3-0 win, each one put on a plate by Franck Ribery. The most devastating wing duo, Robbery, was born.
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3) First Bundesliga title, 2010 Player of the Year
A couple of weeks later, Robben was celebrating his maiden Bundesliga title with Bayern, after scoring two goals in their 3-1 victory over Hertha Berlin.
He finished as Bayern’s top scorer on 16 goals - his second best single-season tally in a Bayern shirt - and was later named Germany’s 2010 Player of the Year.
Watch: Arjen Robben's top 5 Bundesliga goals
4) Scourge of St Pauli, 7 May 2011
How might Bayern’s title defence have panned out, had Robben not missed the entire first half of 2010/11 through injury...?
Although the Dutchman chalked up 12 goals and 10 assists in 14 Rückrunde outings following his return, it was only enough to rescue Bayern a third-placed finish, some 10 points behind champions Borussia Dortmund.
Unfortunately for St. Pauli, Robben showed no mercy on the penultimate day, scoring two and assisting three in an 8-1 defeat that consigned Germany’s cult club to the second tier.
5) Treble heaven, 2012/13
Robben went home empty-handed again in 2011/12, with missed penalties in a title-decider with Dortmund and the UEFA Champions League final against Chelsea making it a year to forget for the wing wizard.
Redemption came full circle in 2012/13, however, as Robben helped Bayern to an unprecedented Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB Cup treble.
His late winner against old foes Dortmund in the first all-German Champions League final might just be the enduring image of his Bayern story.
7) A century of Bundesliga wins, 2014/15
The 2014/15 Bundesliga campaign was significant for another reason.
On Matchday 24, in Bayern’s 3-1 win at Hannover, Robben cemented the legend by reaching 100 Bundesliga victories in the shortest number of games in history - 126.
That he did so in his sixth season at Bayern is no mean feat, but imagine how much sooner he would have joined club 100 without all the injuries…
9) Dortmund’s Kryptonite, 4 November 2017
Dortmund know all about a Robben scorned, but not even they were prepared for what hit them when Bayern visited the Signal Iduna Park in November 2017.
Donning the captain’s armband in the absence of Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller, the wing veteran was celebrating his 11th goal in 19 career appearances against his black-yellow nemesis inside 17 minutes.
He also instigated Bayern’s second, in what was another torrid night in with the Dutch Destroyer for BVB left-back Marcel Schmelzer.
Watch: Arjen Robben put on a Klassiker clinic at Dortmund in 2017/18
10) One-hundred Bundesliga goals, eight Bundesliga titles?
It’s fair to say Schmelzer and the legions of Bundesliga defenders Robben has left trailing in his wake won’t miss him when’s gone.
Only when he kicks his last ball for Bayern, will the near decade-long torment be over.
Until then, expect defenders to crumble and records to tumble in equal measure at the feet of a player closing in on his 100th Bundesliga goal and dreaming of his eighth Bundesliga title; an unplayable servant deserving of his place in the Bayern pantheon.
Chris Mayer-Lodge