Arjen Robben thinks Mark van Bommel can be a future Bayern Munich manager

Bayern Munich saw the end of an era when Arjen Robben played his final two matches for the club at the end of May last season, capping off a domestic double. After ten decorated seasons with Bayern, the Dutchman left a solid, long-lasting legacy behind him. He hasn’t entirely ruled out returning to the club at some point in the future in some sort of coaching capacity, but that’s something that likely wouldn’t happen until further down the road.

Robben’s former Bayern and Netherlands teammate Mark van Bommel, though, is someone he sees as a solid future candidate for Bayern’s managerial position. In a recent interview with SportBild, Robben said van Bommel possesses all the right qualities and characteristics to be a coach at Bayern, and he’s already got managerial experience at PSV Eindhoven. All of this, Robben said, pertains to the future, respecting the fact that Niko Kovac is currently Bayern’s manager:

FC Bayern currently has a coach, so it’s out of the question. He’s a guy who fit the club very well during his time as a player in Munich. The board thinks highly of him. Mark has the character that a coach of FC Bayern needs. If he continues to develop as he has, I can very much imagine him in Munich at some point.

Photo by Sandra Montanez/Bongarts/Getty Images

From 2006 to 2011, van Bommel played for Bayern under five separate managers: Felix Magath, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jürgen Klinsmann, Jupp Heynckes, and Louis van Gaal. He helped the team collect domestic doubles in both the 2007/2008 and 2009/2010 seasons and made over 180 appearances for the club. He knows how the club works, what it means to have Bayern DNA, and now has some managerial experience in the Eredivisie. He could be a strong candidate at some point in the future.

While Robben not has ruled returning to Bayern in a coaching capacity, for now he wants to enjoy retirement and focus on spending time with his family:

I myself am in the midst of finding out what I want to do with my life after my career. I played professional soccer since I was 16. That’s almost 20 years. For now my family is in first place, who no longer have to share me with soccer.