Arjen Robben is one of the most celebrated players in the modern game, with a plethora of trophies won in some of the biggest clubs in Europe: but the outstandingly swift right winger has a down-to-earth side too.
Robben experienced illustrious spells with European heavyweights such as Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich but the Dutch forward has stayed close to his roots after coming back to boyhood employers Groningen in the Dutch Eredivisie.
The biggest virtue that one could teach any aspiring footballer is to keep hold of his humility, and never to forget from where the journey started off.
Despite winning his fair share of silverware at the biggest of European clubs, Robben has not drifted too far from the club which gave him his first big break: he returned to his former club Groningen in 2020 after leaving Bayern Munich on a free last summer.
A recent clip of the forward has surfaced on Twitter, which features Robben turning up to Groningen’s latest game against Utrecht on his bicycle.
It is an almost unbelievable act of humility in a generation of footballers who love their vehicles and their bling: and represents the fact that even after having a career spanning nearly two decades long, the game still means the very same to the 2013 UEFA Champions League winner.
The match ended in a 0-0 draw, as Robben unsuccessfully came off the bench to try to force a winner for his team.
The goalless draw kept Groningen a point above their opponents on the night in the points table with five games played for them compared to Utrecht’s four.
The 36-year-old still seems like a protégé with a lot of hunger inside his belly, and it is evident that he would like to enthral his new fans with a lot more of cutting onto his dreaded left foot and finding the back of the net: something a lot of defenders up against him had nightmares over.
