by Haekal
Arjen Robben was injured after 29 minutes of an emotional return to FC Groningen in the opening match against PSV Eindhoven. He sat down on the pitch in some discomfort and asked for the substitution, eventually limping off to be replaced by Tomas Suslov.
FC Groningen has confirmed that Arjen Robben will miss the next Eredivisie match against ADO Den Haag after suffering a groin injury. The scan result has revealed no muscle tear, meaning the injury is not as severe as first expected, but the 36-year-old Netherlands winger still needs 2–3 weeks to recover.
Robben, who has 96 caps for Nederland, won league titles with PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich, has decided to return from his retirement to help Groningen recover from the impact of Covid-19. Meanwhile, the veteran winger stated that he did not return only to sell the tickets, he has something more meaningful to achieve.
FC Groningen succeeded in persuading him to have another season by showing him a montage of basketball legend Michael Jordan, who won three more NBA titles after return from his retirement. Robben believes that he would continue his outstanding performance with Bayern Munchen, in which he created 143 goals and 101 assists in 305 competitive matches.
Robben was very disappointed with his injury since, on many occasions, injury has interfered his career. In the last season with Bayern, he only made 19 appearances after injury-hit, which drove his decision to quit from the game. The injury is not only frustrating for Robben, but also for FC Groningen, which is still struggling with its financial problems. The absence of their star will make the condition even worse.
Even though the injury is not severe and Robben will return soon, it leaves us wondering whether Robben’s fitness quality will be enough to compete in Eredivisie this season. Robben has been out of the game for more than a year with a long history of injuries. Extensive treatment must be provided if Groningen wants Robben to give his impact on the game and not only in publicity. Robben may return to the game when Groningen face Ajax or Utrecht in the Eredivisie 2020/2021.