The story behind Arjen Robben's Ballon d’Or nomination

Arjen Robben has been one of the biggest names in European football for a number of years, playing for Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Last season, Robben was part of one of the great European sides. Jupp Heynckes built an unstoppable machine that rolled on throughout the season, destroying everything in its way. Initially, the flying Dutchman Robben was struggling for a place in Heynckes’ side but developed his game in order to fit into the system.

Robben has never been known for grafting on the pitch, or tracking back to help win possession back; he has always been an individual who will do what he does best when in possession and that’s it. However, last season, he turned that all around. In Munich’s run to Champions League glory, Robben was arguably one of the best players in the squad. He scored two goals against Barcelona in the semi-final and scored the winner in the final against Borussia Dortmund.

Major honours this year

Robben won everything he could with Bayern last season. This includes the Champions League, the German Cup and the Bundesliga. He also won the UEFA Super Cup in a penalty shoot out win over Chelsea earlier this season. The Dutchman didn’t play many Bundesliga games, but he featured heavily in the club’s European run.

He also featured nine times for Holland in 2013, scoring four times.

Who is Arjen Robben?

Born in Bedum, Holland in January 1984, Robben first made his name at Groningen in the Eredivisie. He was the club’s Player of the Year in 2001 and soon moved to PSV two year later where he became Netherlands’ Young Player of the Year and won the league title. After impressing for PSV, Chelsea swooped in and signed the Dutchman for £12 million.

After winning the Premier League twice with Chelsea, he moved to Real Madrid for £24m where he won the La Liga in 2008. When he left the Spanish capital, he claimed he was forced out against his will. He has since played for Munich, winning two Bundesligas, two German Cups, two German Super Cups, a UEFA Super Cup and the Champions League.

Key Stats

Robben has a fantastic left-foot and is dangerous whenever he cuts-in from the right-hand side. He either unleashes a shot on goal or plays a pass to a team-mate. This season, only Franck Ribery has created more chances than him, with 32 to his 21.

Bayern Top Chance Creators This Season

His shooting is also impressive as he holds a shot accuracy of 64%.

Does he deserve his nomination?

Yes. He was sublime during Bayern’s Champions League run. He didn’t feature as much in the Bundesliga but, in Europe, he was fantastic and did score the winning goal in the final at Wembley.

Does he have a chance of winning?

No. There are far too many players ahead of him on the shortlist. However, he should happy to have made the list as he has had a great year in Germany.