At age 35, former Holland, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich player, Arjen Robben has announced his retirement from professional football.
Robben, who made 606 appearances and scored 210 goals in his19-year playing career, suggested it had been one of toughest choices he had made.
He said: ‘I have decided to put an end to my career as a professional football player. It is without doubt the most difficult decision I have had to make in my career… a decision in which “heart” and “mind” collided. The love for the game gives you the conviction that you can still handle the whole world, as opposed to the reality that not everything works the way you want and you are no longer the 16-year-old boy who had no idea what an injury meant. At the moment I am fit and healthy and as a fan of many other sports I want to keep it that way for the future. So I will definitely stop, but it is good that way.’