Arjen Robben - A change in fortune?

It was a sea of emotions going through the minds of everyone connected to Bayern Munich when they won their fifth Champions League title in Wimbley Stadium in a game which was their 3rd final in 4 years. Moreover, it was a very special night for Arjen Robben who made his presence known throughout the match, showed the brilliance of his left foot and most importantly, proved his critics wrong after a stellar performance in a big game. Is this a change in fortune for the Dutchman in big games?

Robben, widely remembered for his misfired shots in crucial times in big games, was proceeding on the same course in the first half in which he could not get the best out of three one-on-one chances, where the Dortmund keeper Weidenfeller won the battle of wits. But there was a twist in the story when Robben assisted the first goal for the Bavarians and showed his worth when he scored the winner in the 89th minute, pulling the game away from Borussia Dortmund. Tears of joy trickled down his face when the referee blew the whistle for the last time in Wimbley.

Previous incidents:

Robben has been at the centre of all the drama on 2 such previous occasions.

The first one was at the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa where he had a chance to make history by putting the ball past his former Real Madrid teammate Iker Casillas. But he failed and eventually Andres Iniesta slotted one past the Dutch keeper to win the World Cup. That could well have been the last chance for the “Golden Generation” of the Dutch team to win a major trophy.

The next one was on a similar platform in last year’s Champions League final against Chelsea in which Chelsea walked into the game as underdogs against a strong Bayern Munich squad and stole the Cup from Munich in a game, which was dominated by Bayern Munich. The talking point rose up when Arjen Robben failed to put one past an in form Petr Cech from the penalty spot in extra time which would have won the game for Bayern Munich.

But it was third time lucky for both Bayern Munich and Arjen Robben. He was the focal point of most of the Bayern Munich attacks in both the halves of the game. His pace, dribbling and movement caused Dortmund all sorts of trouble throughout the game but Weidenfeller was on top of his game to stop Robben in the first half. But the pressure from Bayern Munich in the second half coupled with the poor central defensive display of Dortmund let Robben rob Dortmund with an assist and a goal.

Robben has been subjected to a lot of criticism for being selfish when on the ball and has also been labelled a diver on many occasions. Putting all that aside, it has been a fabulous season for him and Bayern Munich. Whether he is in Pep Guardiola’s plans for Bayern Munich next season or not, the Dutch winger deserves to be known as a skilful player who is a world class dribbler, a world class winger and someone who is a menace for any defence on his day.