Arjen Robben played half an hour on Saturday with FC Groningen Under-18. In the lost practice match with FC Utrecht Under-18 (1-4), the routine started in the base. His teammates looked surprised when the 37-year-old attacker stood next to them on the field, because Robben had deliberately not announced his play in advance. In conversation with RTV North let a number of basic players know how Robben’s performance was experienced.
“It was, of course, wonderful to be on the field with such a world star”, says center defender Thijmen Blokzijl. “Suddenly he was in line. When we walked off the field after the warm-up, I heard that the players of Utrecht also liked it. When Arjen was substituted he went inside. I didn’t see him after the game.”
Playing together with Robben was also a special experience for captain Jorg Schreuders, although the ‘number ten’ feared for his captaincy for a while. “Arjen did his own preparation. He didn’t interfere. But Thijmen and I wondered where we should put Robben at set pieces because every player has a role of course. I also doubted whether I would be the captain, but the trainer gave the band to me. But I would have liked to step aside for Robben, you know”, said Schreuders, who thought that Robben made a ‘fit impression’.
Robben has already trained several times with the Groningen youth team in the past two weeks. No announcements have been made to the players why he played against Utrecht, but according to RTV North the winger wanted to participate in order to maintain his condition. Robben would have previously indicated that the last Eredivisie season was too short to be able to test his body sufficiently. Whether the star player from Groningen will remain active next season is still unknown.
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