Arjen Robben Retires for Second Time

The Dutch winger had attempted a comeback with his boyhood club after a storied career at some of Europe's biggest clubs.

For a second time, Arjen Robben is exiting—most likely stage left.

The veteran Dutch winger has retired two years after the initial culmination to his career, calling it quits at 37 in a post on social media. A star whose best days were spent over the course of a decade at Bayern Munich, he was best known for cutting to his left to score—a move that so many knew was coming but so few were able to stop.

Robben had previously retired in 2019 after his exit from Bayern but came out of retirement to play for Groningen in his native Netherlands—the same club where he got his start before going on to play for PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid and then Bayern.

🙏 @ArjenRobben. You gave us so much, and we'll be forever grateful.

Happy retirement, legend! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/W6w6pCv4Ue

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) July 15, 2021

Robben also scored 37 goals in 96 appearances for the Netherlands and played in a World Cup final. In his last World Cup, 2014, he was involved in one of the tournament's most controversial moments, when he drew a penalty on Mexico's Rafa Márquez in the waning minutes. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar converted the spot kick deep in stoppage time to cap a late comeback and keep the Oranje's run alive while eliminating El Tri. They would go on to follow their 2010 runner-up performance in South Africa with a third-place finish in Brazil.

On the club level, Robben won league titles in the Netherlands (1), England (2), Spain (1) and Germany (8), and he won the UEFA Champions League with Bayern in 2012-13. He was limited to just seven appearances in all competitions in his final stint with Groningen due to injuries.