Arjen Robben is coming home

Picture of Robben in his FC Groningen shirt at the soccer field

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Sanne de Vries
Written by Sanne de Vries LinkedIn profile
Sanne de Vries is responsible for the marketing at Payt. From strategic reputation management to social media marketing: nothing is off limits for her. She is ambitious and enjoys tackling new challenges with a growth mindset.

This weekend it was announced that Arjen Robben, former Chelsea and Real Madrid star, is returning to FC Groningen. As a shirtsponsor of FC Groningen, we are proud to welcome him back!

His career

Arjen was born in Bedum on the 24th of January 1984 a stone’s throw from Groningen. When he was 16 years old he made his debut in the first team of FC Groningen. Robben would play for two full seasons at FC Groningen. He became ‘player of the year’ at the club thanks to his quick attacks from the left and his striking actions in the first season (2000-2001). His talent did not go unnoticed, and in 2002 he transferred to PSV (Eindhoven).

At PSV he scored more goals than before and his game also developed further. In 2004 he left PSV for Chelsea where he played for three years. With Chelsea, he won two premier league titles. In 2007 Robben was transferred to Real Madrid. At Real Madrid, he played for two years. In 2009 he signed a contract with Bayern Munich where he played until his retirement in 2018. He scored an amazing 141 goals for Bayern including the 2-1 in the champions league final of 2013!

Between 2003 and 2017 Arjen played 96 times for the Dutch team. The highlight was making it into the finals of 2010 where they lost against Spain. He scored 37 goals for the Dutch team.

Following his heart

Arjen Robben is set to come out of retirement to play for his boyhood club. In a press conference, he mentioned his main reason: ‘love for the club’.

“I was 12 when I started playing in FC Groningen’s youth academy,” Arjen said in a video posted on Groningen’s Twitter account. “I made my home debut against Feyenoord when I was 16. After two years I made a transfer to PSV Eindhoven. After a wonderful adventure of 18 years, we’re coming home.”

Arjen has listened to the call of the Groningen supporters: “Arjen, follow your heart!”

Picture Robben in 2002 and 2020 at FC Groningen

We cannot wait to see him play in the FC shirt again. On behalf of Payt, welcome home Arjen!

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