Batman and Robben; the last dance of whirlwind Dutchman

You've probably heard of Mane Garrincha, Pele's henchman and one of the most remarkable wingers in the 50s and 60s. Although his left leg was six centimetres shorter than the other and curved inwards, he was such a good dribbler that almost no one could stop him on the right flank. What was even more stunning is the fact that all defenders knew he'd go right once he starts the dribble but were helpless anyhow.

Half a century later on, at that very same right flank emerged one tiny left-footed Dutchman, who has caused tons of full-backs' frustration for the same reason - they know where he'll go for the last 20 years, but there's not a zero chance they'll prevent his penetration. The only difference between Garrincha and him lies in Robben's direction of the movement because he prefers cutting inside from the right onto his left foot. Once, twice, hundred times, thousand times... and it always works.

It's the closest thing to dance you'll see on a football pitch once he starts his slalom. Many small, fast steps and touches, with hands raised high in the air like the legendary Zorba's dance premiere is scheduled every weekend at 21.00 on the right flank. Dozens of his antagonists are always there, surrounding him as he carelessly storms through their pursuit. Preparing to strike with his powerful left, of course, in the far corner. Even at the age of 37.

That's Arjen Robben.

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Few years after he became a household name in Dutch football, transferring from his childhood outfit Groningen to a more famous PSV, Robben made a lethal attacking partnership in Eindhoven with the Serbian striker Mateja Kezman. The PSV fans nicknamed them 'Batman and Robben', with an apparent reference to worldwide popular action heroes. They would both eventually end up in Jose Mourinho's unstoppable Chelsea. During the following three seasons at Stamford Bridge, the winger clinched almost every possible accolade, earning himself a lucrative transfer to Real Madrid.

'Batman and Robben' - With Mateja Kezman and Van Bommel in the back (©Gallo images)

Even at that moment, Robben was considered one of the best and most consistent wingers in the world, although the actual pick of his career would come at German giants Bayern Munich. He spent ten years with the Bavarians, forming another memorable deadly duo, only this time with a winger like himself, Franck Ribery. With those two arrows on the flanks, the Bavarians enjoyed very successful days. During that Robben's ten-year-tenure Bayern won one Champions League title (Arjen scored the crucial goal in the victory against their archrivals Borussia Dortmund in the finals) and eight domestic championships. With as many as 99 goals scored at Munich, the Dutchman announced his retirement in July 2019.

On 27 June 2020, Robben announced his return to the game, signing with FC Groningen, the club he started his career with, to help the team recover from COVID-19 setbacks. He scored his first goal for Groningen in a pre-season friendly against Arminia Bielefeld. On 13 September 2020, he made his league debut for Groningen against PSV, but he was substituted after only 28 minutes due to injury.

And when everyone thought this would be his inevitable end, Robben resurrected once more this weekend, coming in as a sub thirteen minutes before the final whistle in the tie against Heerenveen. As soon as he received the ball on the right-wing, the hands went up, the left foot stuck to the ball like glue, while his body transformed into the recognizable figure that we've seen so many times in the last 20 years or so.

Enjoy the dance. Robben's whirlwind dance.

By: BOJAN BABIĆ