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Just days after a dazzling performance in the Champions League against SL Benfica, Bayern Munich’s legendary winger, Arjen Robben, has confirmed that this season is likely his last with the club per Sport1.
While making a Bayern fan club visit to Bayern Friends Tegernsee, Robben said the following:
This my last year with FC Bayern. It was ten wonderful years. And then that’s good.
Robben’s spectacular brace against Benfica was a sensational testament to just how dangerous the Dutchman has been throughout his career.
Bayern Munich left no doubt on the pitch today, with two of its biggest stars supplying two goals each pic.twitter.com/nAFz2KT44y
— Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) November 28, 2018
The statement from Robben was bolstered by Bayern president Uli Hoeneß’s declaration during his fan club visit to Kersbach, that Robben and Franck Ribery are both likely concluding spectacular careers with the club:
They are very likely to make their last year at Bayern.
Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge chimed in and backed the club’s decision to re-sign the veteran duo prior to this season:
Both of them are still good players; they can still perform productively. There are players who have helped write the history of this club, and I must say in all honesty: the club would have been ill-advised if we had not extended them.
Rummenigge also chided the over-the-top criticism that the tandem has faced this season:
[What has been written about Ribery and Robben in the past few weeks] was unseemly, sometimes even shabby. That’s why I was extremely happy for them on Tuesday. You should judge them by their quality, not by their age.
While certainly aging, the winger duo has been solid this season. Robben’s performance against Benfica indicated that he still has some gas in the tank, even if it means continuing his career in a more limited role elsewhere. Ribery, meanwhile, also had a goal against Benfica but left Bayern’s 2-1 victory over Werder Bremen in the first half due to an injury on Saturday.
Some may dispute their current effectiveness, but no one can dispute the legacy that the wingers will leave in Bavaria after this season.