Culture & Sports
2018.12.03 20:53 GMT+8

Arjen Robben to leave Bayern Munich after this season

Li Xiang

After 10 years playing for Bayern Munich of Bundesliga, legendary winger Arjen Robben confirmed on Sunday that he will leave the club after the 2018-19 season, according to German television channel Sport 1.

"I can say that this is my last year and it is good like that. The club moves on and I may move on. It is the end of a very good and long period. I won't stop completely yet," said Robben during his visit to Bayern Friends Tegernsee, a fan club.

Arjen Robben (L) and Franck Ribery (R) made up one of the best winger combinations in the world in the past 10 years for Bayern Munich. /VCG Photo

Previously Bayern president Uli Hoeness mentioned that both Robben and the other ace winger of the team, Franck Ribery were likely to say goodbye to Bayern. In May, the club re-signed a one-year contract with both Robben and Ribery who were already respectively 34 and 35.

"Both of them are still good players; they can still perform productively. There are players who have helped write the history of this club, and I must say in all honesty: the club would have been ill-advised if we had not extended them," said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, CEO of Bayern.

Robben joined Bayern in the summer of 2009 from Real Madrid and immediately became a key part of the team. He and Ribery made Europe's top attack combination and together brought the club seven Bundesliga championships, four DFB-Pokal titles, five DFL-Supercup championships, one UEFA Super Cup and most importantly, one UEFA Champions League title (2012-13).

"Golden generation" of Dutch soccer before the Final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. /VCG Photo

As a member of the last "golden generation" of Dutch soccer, Robben made key contributions in helping his country take runner-up at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and third place at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. As the other three representative figures of his generation – Wesley Sneijder (playing in Qatar), Robin van Persie (returned to Feyenoord), Rafael van der Vaart (retired) – have moved away from the spotlight, it's finally Robben's turn to leave soccer's top stage.

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