ARJEN ROBBEN made his return to football with a 30-minute cameo for hometown club Groningen today.
The ex-Bayern Munich winger, now 36, announced in June he would be coming out of retirement to play for his boyhood club this season.
Arjen Robben played 30 minutes in Groningen’s 1-1 draw with Almere City
Robben played the first 30 minutes for Groningen in a friendly match with Almere City which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The former Chelsea star retired from football in 2019 after a decade with Bayern.
But he made the decision to return to help Groningen recover from the financial setbacks caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Prior to today’s outing, the Dutchman had asked to delay his return to football after feeling the physical effects of some intense pre-season training and missed the Eredivisie side’s friendly with PEC Zwolle last week.
The former Bayern Munich winger, 36, has come out of retirement to play for his hometown club
There were no such complaints ahead of today’s match.
Robben, wearing the captain’s armband, kicked off the match with a big smile on his face and almost marked his return with an assist inside two minutes.
Cutting inside onto his left foot in trademark fashion, Robben set up Ajdin Hrustic for a shot from the edge of the box, but Hrustic fired his effort just over the bar.
Almere City, who play in the Dutch second tier, took the lead on 26 minutes through a Faris Hammouti header.
Robben captained the side from the start, playing 30 minutes before being substituted
Robben made way four minutes later for Ramon Pascal Lundqvist, who headed in Groningen’s equaliser just before half time.
The match finished all square at 1-1 as both Groningen and Almere City continued their pre-season preparations.
Groningen, who finished ninth in the Eredivisie last term, face another of Robben’s former clubs, PSV, on September 13 in their first match of the 2020-21 season.
Robben came close to an assist within two minutes of being back on the pitch
Arjen Robben makes sensational return to boyhood club FC Groningen
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
